The Decision of a Cherry Blossom
by CielBerlitz
Summary: First in the 'Rainbow Blossom' series. What if Sasuke took Sakura with him to Orochimaru like she proposed? What consequences would this have on the future and what about those left behind? SasuSaku. R&R!
1. Prologue: Sakura's Decision

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: Due to some stupid incident, I now love Sakura instead of hating her. And even though I still don't like SasuSaku, this idea just wouldn't leave me alone.**

**Summary: What if Sasuke had taken Sakura with him to Orochimaru like she proposed? What about those left behind? And what about the future? R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am not making any profit by posting this.**

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Prologue: Sakura's Decision

"… and if you can't, then take me with you, Sasuke…"

Said Ninja slowly turned around to meet her tear-filled eyes. A strange kind of happiness spread through him, bringing with it a wave of heat. Because of those simple words, he would no longer have to act so cold in order to protect her from the dangers their love could bring. With that thought, the warmth turned to ice in his veins.

_Would it be save to bring her? What would happen if Orochimaru didn't accept this change of plans?_

Sasuke quickly went over Sakura's words again, everything she had said during this conversation, searching for something to prove his doubts wrong.

"I'm not afraid, Sasuke…" Sakura whispered.

And there it was.

Sasuke was behind her in an instant, feeling her freeze as he brought his lips to her ear.

"Thank you… for everything…"

And then he hit her unconscious.

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A/N: Sorry it's so short, but this is just the prologue. It will get longer once I get some more chapters up. Please review (flames will be deleted) and give some useful tips or ideas to help me improve. Constructive criticism is appreciated! **


	2. A Change of Plans

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: Well, here is the first chapter. But before we start, I would like to thank some people:**

**ByakuganLove - for reviewing and being a great (new) friend. AND for helping with some parts of this chapter. Oh, and read her new story, which is awesome. It's about Sakura going on a mission to Kumogakure and getting abducted by a Sound Ninja, who turns out to be Sasuke, someone she thought to be long dead? It's SasuSaku (obviously). **

**Bianca - for reviewing.**

**And all the people who favourited or subscribed to this story.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making profit by posting this. **

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Chapter 1: A Change of Plans

-- Sakura's POV --

Sakura groaned as she felt her head; awake for one second and already a killer headache. A few minutes passed before she realised something was seriously wrong:

This was _not _her room. And she didn't recognise it as a friend's either. The weird thing was, however, that she noticed some of her belongings scattered around the room; her diary/notebook was proudly lying on the desk and she saw her favourite clothes strewn around in various place. This room was about the same size as her own, but gave a larger impression because of the magnolia walls. It consisted of a bed, in which she had been sleeping up until now, a desk, a wardrobe and an attached bathroom.

As soon as that point made itself clear, the memory her subconscious had been trying to suppress, came back to her thoughts.

Sakura gasped.

This had to be a dream! She pinched herself, ignoring the thought of how childish this was, and froze when she felt the pain.

"No…" Sakura moaned.

This was all one big misunderstanding! When she had begged for Sasuke to stay, she had just said everything that came into her mind. She hadn't meant her last proposal, her last offer, literally! She had just wanted to make it clear to Sasuke that she loved him more than anything in the world… and he had thought she meant it literally! But then, if she did love Sasuke as much as she claimed, why wasn't she happy? Why was she desperately wishing this was all some stupid dream? - scratch that, nightmare!

_All right, deep breaths… _Sakura told herself, deciding it would be best if she got her thought ordered and ready first.

She was unsuccessful, however, when she remembered a certain knucklehead shinobi. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as his blinding smile flashed through her mind, followed by the smiles of the Rookie 12.

Ino, her best friend and rival who had guided her throughout her childhood, chasing away bullies and shaping her into an independent person. She never had the chance to say 'thank you' for all the fashion tips, confidence lessons and the fact that she was a great friend. And Sakura knew that even though they acted as if they hated each other, they knew they could on one another when help was needed.

Choji, the chubby and loyal boy who would do anything for his friends. Sakura now felt guilty for secretly laughing about his weight with the other girls in the Academy, without even knowing about what he was like!

Shikamaru, the smart yet lazy Chunin. Did she ever congratulate him for that? No, she had been too busy with herself to notice that he had been wearing a Chunin vest for almost three weeks before Naruto had mentioned it in a conversation. And even then she hadn't bothered to find and congratulate him.

Hinata, the shy yet hard-working girl who loved Naruto more than anything. Sakura had known about this love but had kept it silent because of selfish reasons. She knew it sounded stupid now, but at the time she had been jealous of the thought of Naruto and Hinata getting together. After all, if she didn't get Sasuke, then why should anyone else have a happy relationship?

Kiba, the overconfident and sometimes rude male who never parted from his snow-white dog, Akamaru. Sakura had never liked him because of the way he acted around Sasuke. She now felt guilty about that...

Shino, the quiet but strong Genin. After his match against that Sound Ninja during the preliminary match of the Chunin Exam, she had felt repulsed and disgusted by his power - _bugs_! She had mostly avoided him after that, simply because she didn't like insects. Judging people by their Jutsu... more guilt...

TenTen, the strong and loyal girl who insisted females were equal to men. Sakura didn't know her that well, except for the fact that she had defended her during the match against Ino **(1)**. But then again, she had never made an effort to get to know her either.

Neji, the hurt and cast-aside Hyuga. When they first met and he had been rude to Sasuke, Sakura instantly disliked him. Even after she found out about his tragic past, she didn't like him. Not because he hurt both Hinata and Naruto... no, because he had been rude to Sasuke.

Rock Lee, the youthful and loving Ninja. Sakura had always labelled him as weird and stupid, simply because of the way he acted and because of his looks. She had ignored and never accepted him... and yet he had never given up once, continuing to strive for the love that he knew existed between them.

Kakashi, the porn-loving and mysterious Jounin. He had taught her so much, instantly noticing her aptitude for Genjutsu and Chakra control. He had examined her and picked out her strengths and weaknesses, and yet she knew almost nothing about him. Sakura had never even seen his real face...

And Naruto... he had been so happy when they went to eat ramen together. From the get-go, Sakura had never acknowledged his feelings for her, always putting Sasuke before him. And yet, like Rock Lee, he had never given up and continued to care for her. She really didn't deserve such a great person as a friend...

Sakura got pulled out of her thought when she heard a pair of angry voices echo through the hall outside her room.

"This is my decision, understood!?" Sasuke's unmistakable voice rung throughout the hall.

"I want _you_, Sasuke-_kun_, not some girl you bring with you!" Orochimaru's slithery voice whispered, emphasizing the -kun part.

"At least give her a chance - I'll take responsibility for her,"

There was a short silence. "She can stay; do with her as you wish, but I will not train her."

Another silence. "… Fine."

Footsteps retreated down the hall and Sakura was once again smothered in silence. She released the breath she didn't realise she was holding and glanced at the door, already knowing it was locked.

Sakura decided the best (and only) thing to do right now was to have a nice, long, refreshing shower before putting on some clean clothes and deciding on a plan of action. Hopefully, that shower would give her the chance to think things over.

Sakura made her way to the bathroom and groaned when she saw her reflection in the mirror. The usual shine in her pink hair had changed to a dull glow and her attentive emerald eyes were blurry and unfocused. She stepped in the shower and turned it on, letting the hot water cascade down on her, trailing down her body. Sakura sighed into the water and let the recent events wash over her.

"What do I do…?" She murmured.

At the moment, she had two plans:

One - escape. Get out of here and get back to Konoha. And if she did manage to escape, she would also know the location of this hideout, which would allow Naruto and her to get Sasuke back.

Two - stay. Stay with her true love for… well, forever. And even if she wouldn't get trained by a Sannin, that wouldn't be a problem. She could train herself and besides, as long as she was with Sasuke…

-- Sasuke's POV --

Sasuke stormed down the hall, cursing Orochimaru for refusing to train Sakura, cursing Itachi for everything and cursing life in general because it seemed to hate him.

He turned another corner and growled in annoyance when he realised this was where he started. He hated this hideout… It was too dark and everything looked the same. It was nothing like Konohagakure, with its trees and…

Sasuke forced himself to stop thinking.

If he wanted power, he would have to accept this change to plans.

Sasuke stared at a certain door, deciding whether he should enter or leave it be. Behind that door was the cherry blossom he had risked so much for… was he really ready to face her? What if she had second thoughts about this all…? Would he - no, _could _he - allow her to leave in peace? Could he continue down this path of revenge without her?

Without any second thoughts, he unlocked the door ("… damn Orochimaru for locking her in!") and entered the room, freezing in the door opening at the sight before him.

Sakura stood in the middle of the room with a towel wrapped around her slim body, showing her perfect hourglass figure. Water dripped down her back with her hair as its source as she searched the room for something.

Sakura froze when she heard the door open and quickly scrambled together some clothes before turning around, blushing madly.

-- Sakura's POV --

Sasuke recovered first. "Sakura-san… look, I'm sorry for acting so rash. I should have asked first or something. I'm sorry, I just-"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura started and Sasuke was instantly silent. "Don't worry… it's fine, really. I… I just need to think it over and…"

She fell silent, unsure of how to continue. She stared at the clothes in her hands and blushed, remembering she was still only clad in a towel.

"I'm, I'm just going to…" Sakura trailed of, indicating to the bathroom.

Sasuke nodded and Sakura shot him and apologetic smile before dashing into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. She leaned against it, breathing heavily and blushing madly.

Sasuke had looked so… so… _good_. He had been wearing the same clothes as yesterday, yet he looked different somehow… less cold, less hate-filled, less revenge-obsessed… Those little things changed his whole appearance.

Sakura looked at the clothes she had hastily picked out: a sleeveless light green shirt, a pink skirt with slightly longer shorts underneath, her regular kunoichi sandels and a red ribbon for her hair. She had decided against wearing her forehead protector since it didn't seem like such a good idea to wear the Leaf symbol in Sound. Actually, she hadn't seen her headband since she woke up... she wondered where it could be...

Sakura quickly put on her outfit and then proceeded to tie the ribbon around her hair.

"How can I resist him…?" She muttered to herself, going over her two plans one last time.

Sakura spun round, decision made, and exited the bathroom.

"Sasuke… I'm staying!" She shouted. "I want to be here, anywhere, as long as we're together! I-"

Sakura was cut off when Sasuke pressed his lips against hers. A short second of shock passed before she could respond, moving her mouth in sync with his. Sasuke's tongue traced the outline of her sweet lips making her moan in pleasure. Sasuke slowly entered his tongue into her cavern, exploring it with a certain need, as if this was the only kiss they would get. Sasuke broke away and Sakura moaned inwardly at the sudden heat loss; the warmth still lingered on her lips. The kiss had been different than anything she expected… it had been so gentle yet so full of passion. It had been so unlike the Sasuke she knew up until yesterday.

This was definitely a change of plans she hadn't been expecting.

"… love you."

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**(1) TenTen defended Sakura during her match with Ino in the preliminary. Neji said that because Sakura was a female she couldn't win against Ino, and then TenTen replied by saying it wasn't because she was a girl, but because of the past friendship between them.**

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**A/N: I know this chapter was a bit boring and I apoligise for that, but remember that this is only an introduction and scene setting chapter. The real plot will begin in Chapter 2.**

**Remember, reviews make authors happy. **

**No flames please and constructive critisism is much appreciated.**


	3. Rivals for Love

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: Wow, this chapter took ages to finish... and not only that, but it decided to delete itself when I had! Fortunately, I write everything down in my notebook first, but it still took a long time to type everything out and edit everything again! Anyway, thank you:**

**ByakuganLove - for reviewing and allowing me to use a fragment of her book in this story (it's the very last scene between Sasuke and Sakura).**

**MissyClaire - for reviewing.**

**Purple Teardrops - for reviewing.**

**Warning(s): This chapter contains a LIME and if this offends you in any way, don't read please, you have been warned! Also, this contains spoilers for episode 116, although I did edit some minor parts.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making profit by posting this.**

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Chapter 2: Rivals for Love

A week had passed.

Orochimaru had started teaching Sasuke, training him five days a week, which exhausted him, giving him almost no time with Sakura. But Sasuke seemed intend on making her time in Oto as good as possible, spending his every free minute with her, still afraid that Sakura would change her mind her mind and leave.

And even though Sakura kept telling him he was pushing himself too hard, Sasuke insisted that he was perfectly fine. Besides, he had to train if he ever wanted to kill his brother and avenge his Clan.

With Sakura, the last week had been less exciting. Since Orochimaru was still stubbornly refusing to train her, Sakura had spent the first two days making her room liveable. When she was finished, however, she found there was nothing more for her to do, so Sasuke decided it was time he showed her around her the hideout.

"These are the sleeping quarters for the Sound Ninja, unimportant people," Sasuke scoffed, nodding in its general direction. "Orochimaru, Kabuto, you and me sleep on the south side, as you know."

He continued walking until he reached a large hall with two long tables on either side.  
"The dining hall, where you will eat from now on; with me and the other Sound Ninja."

The pair proceeded with the tour, occasionally passing a Sound Nin. The female half glared at Sakura whenever they saw her: after all, she _was _with the hottest boy in Otogakure. On the other hand, the male population kept staring, winking or wolf whistling at her, which made Sakura wonder whether they had a death wish, judging by the look on Sasuke's face.

"Training fields," Sasuke nodded at the many fields, some with sparring shinobi.

Footsteps approached and the two turned around to find Yakushi Kabuto, the Snake Sannin's right-hand man, walk towards them. When Sakura had found out that Kabuto had worked with Orochimaru all along, she had been shocked. But gradually, she started to remember all the little signs that had hinted at this from the beginning.

"Sasuke-kun, Orochimaru-sama wants to speak with you," He started, saying the -kun part in a mocking way. "You too, Sakura-san." No mockery there.

Sakura looked up in surprise. Orochimaru hadn't even glanced at her; much less acknowledge her since she came here. Why would he want to speak with her? Unless he wanted to send her away from Oto, Sakura couldn't think of any other reason for him to see her.

Sasuke nodded and waited for Sakura to follow him before walking away, also wondering about the intentions behind this sudden acceptance. They didn't have to go far before they found Orochimaru standing in the main hall.

"I have a mission for you, Sasuke-kun; Sakura will join you and if she succeeds I will accept her as a kunoichi of Otogakure." The Sannin glanced at them both before explaining.

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Sakura shivered and glanced around, trying to peer through the darkness that surrounded her. Turning to Sasuke who stood beside her, she saw him intently staring ahead. They were standing in the middle of a forest in the dead of the night, trying to compete the mission given by Orochimaru. Sakura shivered again - she now regretted not bringing anything warmer to wear - and this time Sasuke noticed. He looked at her in worry and was about to say something, when-

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura spun round, gripping her kunai knife as she took a defence position. Sasuke, on the other hand, hadn't made a move to do anything and was now staring ahead again, the words for Sakure completely forgotten. On the tree branch behind them stood a female with the most unusual haircut Sakura had ever seen; one side was long and straight while the other was short and messy, as if it was cut in a rush. Her eyes were as red as her hair and framed by glasses. She was wearing a lilac shirt, black shorts, black sandals and black leggings up to her knees.

"Who are you?" Sakura hissed, clenching her kunai and reaching for her Chakra.

"Orochimaru-sama sent me here to assist you, Uchiha Sasuke." She stated, completely ignoring Sakura. **(1)**

"Two hours ago, 118 test subjects escaped from the hideout. Judging from the time," He looked up at the sky. "They are still in this forest." Sasuke repeated the mission given by Orochimaru.

"I understand this order is to capture them dead or alive?" The redhead asked and Sasuke nodded in confirmation. "Well then, let's begin."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he spun round, staring at the female in wonder as her hair whipped around her face due to the wind. Sakura observed these reactions and looked back and forth between him and her, feeling oddly left out.

"Sasuke…" She started, in an attempt to remind him she was still there. But he held up his hand to silence her, wanting to let the newcomer concentrate.

"Found them!" Her eyes snapped open and Sasuke's widened.

She tilted her head sideways. "I'll start with the ones hiding closest to us: there's one fifty meters behind us, and four more in front of us at ten o'clock."

Sasuke nodded and was about to go to the appointed places, but before that he turned around once more, giving the girl a calculating look. "What's your name?"

"Karin."

She gasped when Sasuke dashed further into the trees, easily locating and defeated the prisoners. "So fast!" Karin marvelled as Sasuke jumped past her to finish off the remaining escapee.

When he returned a few seconds later he landed next to Sakura, who was glaring at Karin with all her might, wishing desperately that looks could kill. However, this went unbeknownst to either Sasuke or Karin.

"Can you keep up?"

Sakura grinned and turned to Sasuke, happy he had finally remembered she was there as well. But her grin faltered when she found him looking at Karin.

Said female spread her arms. "It's my duty."

"Karin, become my eyes."

A small smirk graced her lips and she obediently closed her eyes. "Three are hiding over at 1:30. And from that point, at nine o'clock, five more are waiting to ambush us."

Sasuke nodded and had run off before either Karin or Sakura could react. Sakura recovered first and, being used to the Uchiha's speed since the Chunin Exam, managed to keep up quite easily. Karin, however, had some difficulty, which made Inner Sakura grin in joy.

"_Cha! Take that!"_

**_

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_**

"How many?"

Sasuke and Karin were standing back to back on a tree branch, while Sakura was standing on another. She was trying to suppress the urge to kill Karin on the spot and kept telling herself that Sasuke was only ignoring her to get this mission over with. Yet she couldn't help feeling so… so useless!

"This one makes 84," Karin casually indicated to an unconscious body on the forest floor. "Sasuke, why don't you kill them? You're so lenient."

Sasuke moved his head slightly in order to face her. "There's only one man I have a desire to kill."

Sakura gasped when she felt waves of Sasuke's Chakra wash over the clearing, supporting his statement. Karin felt it too and she hesitantly turned around, taking a step towards him.

"Karin!"

She snapped out of her trance and looked up, seeing four of the prisoners crouched down on higher tree branches. Sasuke jumped up and punched one in the jaw before spinning around and kicking another. He quickly defeated the other two and they all fell to the ground. Karin gasped when one slammed into her, causing her to lose her balance and fall off the branch. One of the prisoners stumbled up and grabbed a knife, holding it up.

"Karin!"

Sasuke jumped towards her and wrapped his arms around her body before grabbing a kunai knife and throwing it at the escapee. **(2)**

"You did that… for me?" Karin murmured, placing a hand on his chest.

Sakura felt tears sting in her eyes and turned around at once, wanting to get as far away from the scene as possible. Why did Sasuke take her with him if he was only going to break her heart later? Or had he never loved her and was this his way of telling her? Did he really respect her feelings so little?

She landed neatly on the ground, without a sound, and straightened up. She had to get herself together and review her options once more.

Sakura stood there alone in the dark waiting for her eyes to adjust a bit. She felt someone's warm hands wrap around her waist. She shrieked in surprise and turned around to see Sasuke's beautiful face. His hands pushed her against his chest, clenching her in his firm grip.

Sakura's hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her, instantly closing the distance between their faces. Sasuke's piercing onyx eyes were looking at her, almost pleading her to kiss him. His full, soft lips brushed against hers. As he leaned away from her she hurried to kiss him once more, all her earlier doubts forgotten.

It was a more passionate kiss than the other one. The warmth and the sweetness of Sasuke's lips were actually enchanting. His hands moved up to her neck, slowly caressing it, then down to her shoulders, waist and finally her thigh. His other hand did the same.

Their lips never parted from each other as he picked her up in his hands, by her thighs. Sasuke brought Sakura to a bed of moss, wanting her to be as comfortable as possible, and fell down on her, pinning her with his weight. His mouth was kissing her neck, making Sakura gasp in pleasure. His hand was touching her thigh, her cleavage and slowly continued to move behind her, up her lower back.

Sasuke started removing her shirt as she removed his. Sakura's hands were sliding down his perfectly sculpted muscular body and she was saying his name in pleasure.

"Sasuke…"

One hand was tracing the muscles on his abdomen, and her other hand was sliding down the muscles on his back. He removed her skirt and she removed his pants, but they never parted from each other. Sasuke was touching her body in ways that made Sakura scream in pleasure.

She had a beautiful feeling in her stomach that was increasing with each one of his touched. Sasuke leaned down to her and whispered:

"I love you… only you…"

Words she would never forget.

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**(1) Karin is ignoring Sakura in exact the same way like she did with Suigetsu. **

**(2) In the anime, Sasuke defeated that guy with his katana. But at this stage in my story, Sasuke hasn't got his katana yet, so I changed it to a kunai knife. Bear with me, please!**

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**A/N: Reviews make authors happy and gets them to upload sooner. Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames... not so much... but do whatever you want.**


	4. Those Left Behind

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: Okay, this is sort of an interlude chapter leading to two plots which will be revealed in the next chapters. **

**Thank you:**

**ByakuganLove, Purple Teardrops, xxxMeNtaLCoNsTIpaTiONxxx, TeenageCrisis and mopman09 for reviewing. It means a lot to me.  
And all the people who favourited or subscribed.  
**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making profit by posting this.**

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Chapter 3: Those Left Behind

Sarutobi Asuma opened his second packet of cigarettes since his arrival with shaking hands before lightning it. Yamanaka Ino was sitting next to him on the bench, hugging her knees, and Nara Shikamaru was staring at the floor. On the bench opposite them, Maito Gai sat with folded arms and a serious expression on his face, which was unusual for him. TenTen was fiddling with a kunai knife, switching it from one hand to another, and Rock Lee was expectantly looking at the door, which led to the surgery room.

Said door opened and the Godaime entered the waiting room. She was smiling but her light brown eyes were dull and lifeless, devoid of their usual fierceness.

"The conditions of Hyuga Neji and Akimichi Choji have stabilised," The Hokage explained, making sure to look at each of her patient's teammates separately to get the message across. "They're not in any danger anymore, but they will have to remain in the hospital until they've fully recovered. You can visit them in a few days."

Asuma sighed in relief and Gai let his arms drop to his sides. The mood in the room instantly brightened and everyone grinned at one another, except for one person who continued staring at the floor.

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Shikamaru had walked around Konohagakure for about an hour without any purpose before he stopped at Ichiraku Ramen, recognising the flash of blond hair inside.

"Can I join you?" Shikamaru asked mutely.

"Yeah, sure, sure…" The Jinchuriki replied, a sad smile gracing his lips. Shikamaru took the seat beside him and the two sat in silence until Naruto suddenly broke it. "It's all my fault! I should've taken Sakura's warning seriously! She _told _me she was worried about Sasuke, but I just brushed it off because I didn't want to ruin our night together and I didn't want to… admit that… I cared about that teme…"

Naruto trailed off, embarrassed at his outburst, and quickly turned to the miso ramen in front of him, his face heating up.

"No, Naruto… It's not your fault that Sasuke left and kidnapped Sakura, it's mine." Shikamaru told his friend. "My first mission as a Chunin and I mess up… because of me, two of our shinobi were almost killed, four were harmed - including me - and one has turned rogue while another's been kidnapped Really, Naruto, if anyone's to blame, it's me."

"Come on, it doesn't help working yourself up," Shikamaru and Naruto both turned in their seats to see Temari standing behind them with folded arms. "With every mission comes sacrifice. You've had physiological training, right?"

Shikamaru clenched his fists. "There's a difference between training and doing. I've been on missions before… I thought I knew what it meant to be a shinobi. I… this was my first mission as a team leader and it helped me realise I'm not fit to be a shinobi!"

"Hah, look at Mister Delicate… You call yourself a man?" Temari scoffed.

"As a team leader, all I could do was put my trust in them. I was too naïve, inadequate for the task. This is all my fault."

"So you're afraid of getting hurt?" Temari narrowed her eyes as Shikamaru remained silent. He stood up and left Ichiraku Ramen without another word. She turned to Naruto. "Lady Tsunade wants to see you, Uzumaki."

Naruto looked up in surprise before making his way to the Hokage's office, sparing one last look at Shikamaru's retreating back. Would Tsunade scold him for failing to bring back Sasuke and rescue Sakura? Naruto pushed open the door and was confused when he saw Ino, TenTen and Hinata stand before the Godaime, who was sitting behind her desk. Ino flashed a smile at Naruto, TenTen nodded once and Hinata blushed before twiddling her thumbs.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, Hyuga Hinata and TenTen. I'm sending you four on a retrieval mission to get Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura back."

"What!?" Naruto yelled in shock. "Another one!? We just came back!"

"Exactly," Tsunade nodded. "They won't be expecting another squad so soon."

TenTen narrowed her eyes in confusion. "But, Hokage-sama… We have no experience working together, so why choose us?"

"Because I have no one else: all our Jounin and Chunin still have missions and the ones that have returned are resting, so I'm forced to use Genin once again. Choji can't go for obvious reasons and I'm keeping Shikamaru here to recover from the last mission; both Neji and Rock Lee need to recover as well; Kiba is resting and I just sent Shino on a mission. I wanted to take one member from each team, so it's going to be you four." Tsunade explained.

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"Well, it seems you succeeded, Sakura-onna **(1)**," Orochimaru stated. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the suffix, but Sasuke quickly cast her a warning look and she remained silent. "Although, with both Sasuke-kun and another of my Sound Ninja by your side, it's no surprise. Therefore, I'm not convinced whether I should make you a kunoichi or of Otogakure or not."

It was the day after they had returned from the mission and Sasuke and Sakura were now standing before Orochimaru to receive their judgement. They had managed to find and defeat the remaining 34 prisoners without Karin's help (which she pointedly refused to do after she had walked in on Sasuke and Sakura) and had returned to Sound yesterday evening.

"So, what now?" Sasuke folded his arms.

"Now, I want to test her abilities in battle. She will fight against a Ninja of my choosing and if she wins… I will accept her." The Sannin explained.

Sasuke doubtfully looked at him. "And you'll keep your word?"

Orochimaru smirked. "Of course… Now prepare yourself, Sakura-onna!"

Orochimaru left and Sakura stared hopelessly at the ground. This was not good. She would never be able to win against someone chosen personally by Orochimaru. Yes, she could fight, but not at such a high level. And, if she lost… she didn't want to think about that right now. The uselessness she felt last during the mission returned and she unwillingly remembered all the times she had failed something and Sasuke or Naruto had to protect her.

Sasuke grasped her hand. "It will be alright… don't worry…" He murmured.

Sakura spun round towards him, her face contorted with anger. All the events of the past week washed over her and all the sadness, hurt, happiness, anger, confusion, disbelief and love she had been keeping inside burst out of her as she snapped.

"Easy for you to say! You're good at fighting, at everything! What am I compared to you? You don't know what it feels like to be nothing but a burden, always having to be saved! I trained and trained and yet it was never enough! And if I fail now… I will lose you…"

"Actually, I know exactly how it feels," Sasuke whispered, not like his usual stoic self. "You said you knew about my clan… then you must know that my _brother_," He spat out the word in fury. "Killed them all for his own selfish reasons! I couldn't stop him because I was too weak. I had trained and trained and yet I was never strong enough to be like him. My parents forgot about me… I was always second best… nothing but a burden… So I know exactly how it feels, Sakura-chama." **(2)**

And with those words, Sasuke left. Sakura watched his retreating back, still shocked about the suffix he used. A few minutes passed before she allowed herself to smile.

"Thank you…"

* * *

"Alright, let's start!" Naruto grinned, the thrill of the mission returning him to his old energetic self.

Ino rolled her eyes. "And how are we going to know where to search? We don't have any leads, any trails, nothing!"

"Then we'll create leads," Naruto whispered, turning to Hinata. "Hinata, can you use your Byakugan to scout the area as far as you can?"

"Y-Yes, N-Naruto-kun. Byakugan!" Her eyes became pure white and the veins around them bulged. "I can scan a radius of two kilometres, so unless we keep moving, this won't be very useful."

"Don't worry… I'm sure it's fine." Naruto smiled, making Hinata blush.

TenTen glanced at the blond female. "Ino, you can use the Mind Transfer Jutsu, right? Why don't you use it on some kind of animal to scout?"

"Yeah… that would work…" Ino murmured, already searching for a suitable animal. Her gaze rested on a swallow sitting on a branch and she grinned. "Alright! Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Her body went limp and Naruto dashed forwards to catch her. The swallow flapped its wings and flew up, going to the south.

Naruto nodded. "Right, this'll be the plan: while Ino covers any gaps which Hinata can't see, we'll keep moving to give her a new area to scout when she has finished one."

As if on cue, Hinata's Byakugan disappeared. "I found nothing… If only we had Kiba with us…"

"Let's move!"

* * *

**(1) - onna literally means 'little girl' in Japanese.**

**(2) - chama is a combination of -chan and -sama, meaning it's both affectionate and respectful. **

**

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short *hides*! And the characters, especially Naruto, just felt a little OOC when I wrote this... **

**Anyway, reviews make authors happy! Please give me some constructive feedback! **


	5. Sharingan Counterattack

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: OMG, have you seen the new opening for Naruto Shippuden!? It's absolutely AMAZING with lots of Itachi and Sasuke! The best so far! But don't bother finding it on Youtube because they're all fake!**

**Anyway, thank you:**

**ByakuganLove and ****xxxMeNtaLCoNsTIpaTiONxxx for reviewing!  
And all the people that favourited and subscribed.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making any profit by posting this.**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4: Sharingan Counterattack 

-- Sakura's POV --

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror and snorted in distaste. A few minutes ago, Kabuto had entered her room to give her the clothes she had to wear during the fight: Orochimaru's orders. The outfit in question was completely black and consisted of Karin-length shorts, a tight sleeveless shirt and black kunoichi sandals.

Sakura wrapped her arms around her body and started shaking, doing a bad job at controlling her emotions. She knew she would've felt much better if Sasuke was here with her, but she hadn't seen him since her outburst a few hours ago.

The door behind her opened and Sakura spun round, her shaking ceased, to stand face-to-face with Kabuto. She sighed in relief, cursing herself for being so jumpy.

Kabuto grinned. "I see you're ready; good. Orochimaru-sama is expecting you on the Third Training Ground, where your opponent will meet you. Oh, and by the way, the whole of Sound has been invited to watch," Sakura paled and Kabuto's eyes softened. "I'm sure you'll be great… don't worry, I believe in you."

Sakura looked up at him in surprise. She certainly didn't see that coming, but it helped nonetheless. She allowed herself a small smile before nodding to herself in determination, promising herself she would give it her all and nothing less!

Sakura balled her fists and followed Kabuto as he led her to the destined fighting place. With every step her confidence grew and she knew, or hoped, she would make Sasuke proud.

The Medic stopped at the exit that would lead them outside and motioned for Sakura to continue. She kept her head down the entire time as she walked to the field, letting her pink bangs fall over her eyes. When she lifted her head she looked everywhere but her opponent; she noticed Kabuto had taken his place beside Orochimaru and didn't recognise the rest of Sound. She felt sadness tear at her, however, when she couldn't find Sasuke.

Sakura took a deep breath and looked into the face of her opponent. And at that moment, all the courage she had mustered shattered into a thousand pieces, leaving only fear behind.

-- Sasuke's POV --

_Sasuke folded his arms as he once again stood before the Snake Sannin, not in the mood for another conversation._

"_What now?" He hissed._

"_Like Sakura, I want you to fight someone as well; to test your abilities. And if you lose this fight, I won't give you the power you desire." Orochimaru answered, seemingly not concerned with the lack of manners._

"_Wait - so I won't see Sakura-chan's fight?" Sasuke realised at once, not wanting to abadon her when she needed him._

_Orochimaru smirked, a strange glint in his eyes. "Oh, you will…"_

_Sasuke clenched his fists and stared the ground, trying to see the double meaning in his words that he knew existed._

And he had.

So here he was, watching the shock etch across her face as she saw whom she was going to fight. Sasuke's expression mirrored hers perfectly and he realised he would never be able to win this. Not because his lack of skill, but because he would never be able to hurt Sakura personally.

Slowly the real problem of the situation made itself clear: if Sakura lost this, she would be sent away and possibly killed, but if he lost this, he would never get the power needed to avenge his clan. So in other words, it was either him or Sakura.

'_Damn Orochimaru!'_

-- Sakura's POV --

No.

No!

NO!!

This could not be true. She would never be able to _fight _Sasuke! Did he really love her so little that he was willing to continue with this? Did he really want her gone? Did he even mean any of the words he had said before?

The questions rushed through her head and Sakura glared the ground, bitter tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. She lifted her head again and noticed Sasuke was almost wearing the same outfit he wore during the finals of the Chunin Exam, when he fought against Gaara.

Well, if he wanted her gone, he would have to make her. Because Sakura had promised herself something, and, quoting Naruto, from now on, she would never go back on her word. That would be her Nindo, her Ninja Way. And with that thought she charged towards Sasuke, his eyes widening in shock. He easily sidestepped the attack, and spun round to intercept the kick aimed for his head.

"Sakura, what do you think you're doing!?" He hissed so only she could hear.

"Keeping my promise."

Sakura twisted her body and lashed out with her fist, only to find it blocked by Sasuke's other hand. He pushed her away and she jumped back a few metres, preparing for the next series of blows.

Sasuke's eyes bled red and Sakura cursed herself for forgetting his kekkei genkai, his bloodline line. She quickly scanned over everything she knew about the copy wheel eye and grinned: she knew how to get around the prediction part.

Sakura concentrated, trying to 'connect' with her Chakra. She smiled when she felt her inner pool of power where she usually drew her strength from without thinking. Sakura nodded and ran towards Sasuke, knowing he would see she would strike left. A second before she reached the destined spot, she flared her Chakra and split it in two, making one half go left and the other right. **(1)**

Sasuke gasped when her fist connected and he was thrown back several metres due to the hidden Chakra behind that punch.

-- No POV --

Sasuke slowly stood back up, shocked that his Sharingan hadn't managed to see where she was going to hit, yet more shocked about the fact that Sakura had actually _attacked _him! Well, if she wanted a serious fight, he would have to disappoint here because he refused to hurt her.

He glanced at Orochimaru and knew he would have to do at least some fighting. Sasuke sighed and dashed towards Sakura, appearing behind her in a flash. She spun round and lashed out with her fist but Sasuke crouched down and tried to kick her legs out from underneath her.

However, Sakura avoided the attack and branched her Chakra before advancing on Sasuke.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

A large ball of fire blew towards Sakura, scorching the ground on its way, and hit her full on. Sakura cried out in pain and clutched her right arm, where a large burn mark was already forming; because even though she had managed to dodge the majority of the attack, she had still gotten hit.

When Sakura realized she could still use her arm without it hurting too much, she made some hand signs and three clones appeared beside her. Sasuke sprinted towards her and defeated them in mere seconds, now standing before Sakura.

"With my Sharingan I can see which one is the real you."

Sakura cursed. How could she forget that?

Sakura jumped back a few meters and channeled all her Chakra to her fist, deciding to end this battle right here and now. Meanwhile, Sasuke was having the same thought and was gathering his Chakra in his fists as well. The two shinobi's ran towards each other and met in the centre of the fighting area.

When their fists connected, waves of blinding white Chakra washed over the field. The hair of the two Ninja's whipped around their faces and they averted their eyes from the light. Some people in the crowd screamed, but they were mostly blocked out by the wind the Chakra generated.

Sasuke and Sakura screamed as the Chakrs exploded and sent them back, slamming them into the ground before it disappeared, leaving the whole of Sound in shock. Sakura tried to lift her head but found all strength had left her body; she closed her eyes and stopped fighting, letting herself slip into unconsciousness. Sasuke closed his eyes and did the same.

* * *

Sakura groaned and opened her eyes, still feeling weak and strange, like her body didn't belong to herself anymore. After five minutes of struggling, she managed to tilt her head to the left to see Sasuke lying beside her. Something glinted in the sunlight filtering through the window and Sakura smiled when she recognised it as a Ninja Headband.

* * *

**(1) Just think of the battle between Naruto and Sasuke at the Final Valley with the Chakra branching idea. It's basically that.**

**

* * *

A/N: That. Was. Such. A. Bad. Chapter.**

**I'm sorry but I had absolutely NO inspiration and I'm generally rubbish at fighting scenes anyway. So forget this chapter and let's move on, shall we?**

**Oh, and the part with the exploding Chakra will be explained later because it's pretty important. **


	6. Kabuto's Offer

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: Halfterm finally! One whole week of freedom without school! Yay! **

**Thank you, ByakuganLove, xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx (why did you change your penname), Miki-chan and CherryBlossom7w7 for reviewing.  
And everyone who favourited or subscribed. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making any profit by posting this.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Kabuto's Offer

"I am surprised you let both of them stay," Kabuto said as he started the process of healing a subordinate. "Sasuke obviously didn't give it his all, which could cause problems later on depending on his reason. And Sakura-san… she needs a lot more training before she reaches the standard you desire."

"I see your point, but I have my reasons. I expected Sasuke to act the way he did. In fact, I never truly considered denying him power; he is my future body after all. This was a test, not for him but for Sakura. At the moment, she has no special skill whatsoever, but she was able to put her aside her emotions and stay focused. I believe that with the right training, she can become very valuable indeed." Orochimaru reasoned.

Kabuto nodded, thoughtful. "She has excellent Chakra control: being able to draw extra power from within yourself in the midst of combat is a very rare achievement that only some highly qualified ANBU can do."

"And she deceived the Sharingan, although I don't think Sasuke-kun will fall for the same trick twice." Orochimaru added.

"And then there's the exploding Chakra…" Kabuto whispered, taking a scalpel from the table beside the operating desk. "Any theories on that, Orochimaru-sama?"

The Sannin shook his head. "Only one, Kabuto."

* * *

Sakura removed the small towel on Sasuke's forehead and made her way to the bathroom, turning on the tap and holding it under the running water. She wrung it out and made her way back to Sasuke before sitting down next to his sleeping figure on the bed, placing the now wet towel on his forehead.

"Sasuke…"

The Uchiha had not woken up since their fight and Sakura was starting to get worried. She knew the Chakra explosion must have caused it, but Sasuke seemed to have it ten times worse than she had.

After Sakura had woken up, she had difficulty moving her limbs the way she wanted them to and had suffered horrible headaches; Sasuke, on the other hand, had still not woken up, was not moving and his brow was on fire.

"Sasuke…" She muttered again, leaning down towards him. Sakura brushed her lips against his, savouring his taste… just in case.

* * *

"I believe that it's all because if the change in Chakra nature. Sasuke-kun is both fire and lightning, meaning Sakura is either wind or water - personally, I believe wind. During that fight, both gathered all their Chakra inside their fist… Lightning is Sasuke's more dominant nature, and it is weak against wind. Just imagine the sheer size of his Chakra, added to her inner power…" Orochimaru paused, giving a dramatic effect.

"Two enemy forces…" Kabuto whispered. "Amazing…"

There was a silence, disturbed only by metal meeting flesh, until Kabuto eventually broke it, laying aside his scalpel.

"I'm going to see how they're doing."

Orochimaru nodded absentmindedly, lost in his own thoughts, as Kabuto quickly finished with the last touches on his healing work before leaving the medical room. He made his way to the south side of the hideout and entered Sasuke's room without knocking, seeing Sakura place a wet towel on his forehead.

"Sasuke…" She whispered, before staring at him for a few minutes. "Sasuke…" She whispered again as she leant down and brushed her lips over his.

Kabuto cleared his throat and Sakura looked up in shock, although her features instantly relaxed when she saw him. She smiled ever so slightly before turning back to Sasuke; the worry she was feeling could obviously be see in every part of her body and the way she moved.

The Medic walked towards the bed and looked at Sakura, asking permission with his eyes. She nodded - barely visible - and allowed Kabuto to sit next to her. His hands glowed with a green aura as he placed them on Sasuke's chest, moving it from one part to another.

'_He has no physical injuries, but his Chakra flow is disturbed and I can see several broken veins in his Chakra network…' _Kabuto thought as the glow diminished.

When he shared this knowledge with Sakura she paled, making Kabuto instantly guilty for saying to so heartlessly. "As for healing… restoring the Chakra network is something I cannot do since it costs a huge amount of Chakra. Sasuke will have to battle through this on his own."

"How long…?" Sakura dared to ask. "And why not me!?"

Kabuto repeated Orochimaru's theory and Sakura was shocked by the fact that she had been _stronger _than Sasuke! She did notice, however, that he had not answered her first question, but she didn't press it.

"I feel so useless…"

"That's exactly why I'm here…" Kabuto told her. "I've got an offer for you. What would you think about being trained being me? Medical Ninjutsu…?

Sakura looked up at him in surprise. "W-What?" She stammered.

"I believe you would be perfectly suited for learning Medical Ninjutsu: you have amazing Chakra control - so we've got that covered - you're extremely bright and I think you'd enjoy healing."

Sakura lowered her head and looked at Sasuke, knowing that if she became a Medic she would be able to contribute to the missions instead of being a useless burden. She would also be able to help Sasuke whenever he needed it… Sakura was quite surprised that Kabuto had offered to train her and, not used to compliments, smiled brightly at him.

"I would love to!"

* * *

Ino opened her eyes to see the forest blurring by on either side. She felt arms carry her and looked up to see Naruto as he jumped from tree to tree. She also saw TenTen and Hinata in front of them.

"Did you find anything?" Naruto asked, noticing she was awake.

"Nothing…" Ino whispered. _'Except…'_

Naruto sighed. "Let's stop here for a few minutes!"

The two kunoichi stopped and jumped down the ground level, shortly followed by Naruto who let go of Ino while Hinata deactivate her Byakugan and sighed. The four of them had been searching for five hours straight without finding anything; it was as if Sasuke and Sakura had just vanished.

"I found nothing, but I did sense some dark and powerful Chakra. However, I couldn't pinpoint the exact location since it seems to be obscured by something…" Hinata told her team.

Ino nodded. She too had sensed some kind of Chakra but couldn't find the source. She quickly recounted her search as a swallow to her team-mates, creating an uncomfortable silence. Naruto sighed, wondering what to do… He could either go in search of this mysterious Chakra or continue his mission to find Sasuke and Sakura.

A few minutes passed while Naruto mulled over his possible options. "Follow me!"

* * *

"Healing is something not everyone can do, but once you understand the concept it keeps getting easier until it's almost like a second nature to you." Kabuto placed his hands flat on the chest of a wounded and unconscious man. "First, you need to send a precise amount of Chakra into your hands, distributing it equally among them; the amount of Chakra varies per person and patient. Just place your hands on someone's chest and if you concentrate you should feel their flow of Chakra - the faster it is the more Chakra you'll need."

Sakura nodded, trying to absorb all the information. Kabuto smiled as he motioned to the body and Sakura hesitantly placed her hand on the spot his had been a few seconds earlier. She took a deep breath and concentrated; a gasp escaped her lips when she felt power - Chakra - swirling beneath her fingertips. Sakura smiled and concentrated further, sending a weak flow to her hands.

Sakura gasped in delight when her hands shimmered with a green light, but it soon turned to a soft moan of disappointment when the glow ceased to remain.

"That was good," Kabuto complimented. "Sometimes it takes days to initiate a glow, however small. Yours is this size because you have only just started learning this branch of Jutsu… once you attain more power and experience it will last much longer than the few seconds here."

Sakura didn't look convinced, but let him continue with the next part of his explanation.

"Next is the actual healing… it's hard to explain how it works exactly - you have to experience it yourself. But I'll try my best…" Kabuto paused to search for the right words. "When you touch someone after you send Chakra to your hands… you get a sort of, image in your mind that shows you the inside of their body… allowing you to heal them, simply by willing it with your mind…"

Kabuto stopped and sighed. "Okay, forget it. You'll have to experience it yourself to understand."

Sakura nodded and, sensing the session was over, made her way to the door.

"Next time I'll educate you about the human body," Kabuto told her. "You yourself will have to practise healing."

Sakura nodded once more and left the medical room. As she walked down the hallway, she couldn't help wondering why Kabuto was being so kind to her. It almost seemed as if he felt sorry for her somehow…

Before she knew it, Sakura was standing in front of the door leading to Sasuke; her feet had automatically carried her here. When she entered she saw the Uchiha in the same place as before, not that he could move much anyway.

After quickly replacing the towel with a new wet one, Sakura sat down next to him and placed her hands on either side of his heart. She closed her eyes and sent a surge of Chakra to her hands, feeling the green light sting at her eyelids.

Sakura gave a small cry of surprise when she saw thin tendrils wrapped around the most vital organs with a soft blue light flowing through it, all inside her mind. Some of the tendrils were broken and the blue light was not present in these, meaning this had to be the Chakra network.

'_Sasuke…' _Sakura thought in desperation, almost feeling the pain he was going through herself. Tears streamed down her face and she willed with all her heart and soul that he would be alright. _'Please, please…'_

At once, before her own eyes, she saw some of the tendrils reconnect themselves, the blue light continuing to flow. Sakura gave a startled cry as she felt a huge drain on her Chakra, yet she refused to move away her hands.

More tendrils reconnected and Sakura's breath was coming in short gasps as more Chakra got drained. She now knew what Kabuto had meant when he said this was impossible to do alone, yet she refused to move away her hands.

Drawing upon the strength of her inner pool of power, Sakura completed the work of healing the last tendrils. She opened her eyes and saw the colour had returned to Sasuke's face; the green light faded away and Sakura sank into sweet oblivion, finally moving away her hands.

* * *

**A/N: Right, this chapter was inspired by 'The Named', the most amazing book I've ever read and my all-time favourite! I got the whole 'seeing the healing happening inside your mind' from that, and the rest I just made up myself or got from canon information. **

**Why Sakura was able to heal Sasuke alone will be explained some time in the future... maybe even next chapter... we'll see. And about the dark Chakra with Naruto and co... I really don't know where I'm going with that... **


	7. Hozuki Suigetsu

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: I'm so sorry this is so late, but I made it! Yes! I'm late because I was in Amsterdam the whole day, visiting my step-grandmother because my grandfather died. On a happier note, I had miso ramen today and it was delicious! Believe it!**

**Anyway, thank you:**

**Miki-chan, ByakuganLove, Lynn C, Angelic Sakura Blossom, Valeria1314151611 and xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx for reviewing.**

**And TeenageCrisis for reviewing and the dark Chakra idea. Thanks! **

**And to everyone who favourited and/or subscribed!**

**Warning(s): This chapter contains a LIME and if this offends anyone in any way, please don't read, you have been warned! This chapter also contains minor spoilers for the revelations in Volume 43.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making any profit by posting this.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Hozuki Suigetsu

Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he sat up, his breath coming in irregular gasps with each one causing him pain. The Uchiha lifted up his head with difficulty and hissed in pain when the sunlight streaming through the windows almost blinded him.

Sasuke looked to his left and saw Sakura sprawled across the bed, lying next to him. She looked worn out so Sasuke rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against him.

"Sakura…"

At the sound of his voice, Sakura stirred and opened her emerald eyes, meeting with Sasuke's onyx ones. She smiled but then gasped in pain, clutching her chest with both hands; her vision became blurry and black specks danced before her eyes, giving her a headache. The last thing she saw was the concerned expression on Sasuke's face as she once again sank into oblivion.

* * *

"I _told _you it was near impossible to repair the Chakra network by yourself! You're extremely lucky to have had such high Chakra reserves…" Kabuto scolded.

Sakura managed a small smile, but instantly regretted it when a jolt of pain shot through her body. She gasped in pain and Sasuke instantly took a step towards her, but stopped when he saw Kabuto's dark look.

After Sakura had passed out and had failed to respond when Sasuke tried to wake her, he had rushed to Kabuto - quite unlike himself - and almost forced him to check up on Sakura.

So here they were: Sakura was lying on the operating table, trying to ignore the cold steel as it pressed against her bare back; Kabuto was healing Sakura's slightly damaged Chakra network while restoring her Chakra to a normal level, blaming the Uchiha for this all; and Sasuke was at the other end of the room, not allowed to come closer… which he didn't attempt in case it he somehow diminished Kabuto's healing skills.

"Right… your Chakra has reached a normal level, although slightly below average, Sakura-san. I can only advise a minimum use of Chakra and enough rest… so don't do anything to overexert yourself." Kabuto told Sakura as he stood up. "I'll be back later to check up on you."

The Medic left the room and Sakura sighed as she reached for her dark red shirt. She froze when Sasuke grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the operating table, but soon relaxed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips met, sending waves of raw pleasure through them both, as Sakura fumbled with the buttons on his shirt before throwing it in a random direction.

Sakura moaned as Sasuke trailed his hands down her body, resting them on her hips before slowly sliding off her skirt, their lips never once parting.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke as they broke apart for more air. The pair stared into each other's eyes and Sakura realised that she did truly love him. She knew she would not only die, but live for him, too. This sudden revelation brought tears to her eyes, which Sasuke instantly wiped away.

"What's wrong?" He murmured.

Sakura shook her head and reached up to kiss Sasuke again, who instantly complied.

Sasuke moaned into the kiss. Sakura really was perfect in every aspect; she was the glimmer of light in his darkness, she was his safe haven… she completed him. Truth to be told, Sasuke couldn't even remember how he had managed to survive before he knew her.

Someone cleared his throat and the two shinobi froze before turning to the door, where Kabuto stood with folded arms.

"I'd call this overexerting yourself," He said, not fazed by the glare Sasuke was sending him.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

* * *

Sakura sighed. She had been staring at the Oto headband for ages, scared to put it on. She knew that if she did, she would have officially defected from Konohagakure and become a missing nin. Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who stood near the door, ever patient.

She sighed and put on the headband, feeling the weight of her decision push her down. Sasuke grasped her hand and kissed the nape of Sakura's neck before pulling her out the room and into the hallway, where Orochimaru and Kabuto were waiting (Kabuto and Sasuke exchanged some glares).

"We need to go, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said and the Sannin nodded.

The four Sound ninja left the West hideout and made their way to the East hideout to find both new and promising prospects and test subjects, since said hideout was the site where people with special talents were kept until further investigation.

As they were jumping from tree to tree - Orochimaru and Kabuto in front, Sakura and Sasuke behind - Sakura couldn't help but feel guilty as she watched the three of them. Even though she was wearing the Oto headband, she didn't _feel _like a Sound Ninja. She wondered what Naruto would do if he ever knew…

* * *

Uchiha Itachi nodded to himself when he saw Sasuke leave the Sound hideout with Orochimaru and Kabuto. This meant the first stage of his plan had been completed; if everything went as he knew it would, then in about three years time, his otouto-

Itachi narrowed his eyes when he saw a fourth person exit the hideout. She had shoulder-length _pink _hair and emerald eyes. When he noticed the Sound headband and the way Sasuke interacted so naturally with her, Itachi growled, losing his carefully composed mask of indifference for just a few seconds.

She could ruin everything! If his otouto got too attached to an Otonin, then he wouldn't be able to successfully kill Orochimaru and complete the second stage of his plan.

"Itachi-san," A voice called out and said Uchiha tore his eyes away from the Sound Ninja, who finally disappeared from view. "Pein-sama is summoning us."

"Right… Let's make our way back."

* * *

"The Chakra has disappeared!" Hinata exclaimed. "Suddenly… it was gone…"

The four Konoha shinobi when Hinata - their 'eyes'- shared that information. Naruto cursed and punched the tree trunk; he didn't know why, but his intuition told him the dark Chakra was somehow related to or would lead them to Sasuke.

"Um, Naruto-kun," TenTen started nervously.

"Huh - what?" Naruto asked in disorientation. He followed TenTen's gaze when he hear Hinata and Ino gasp.

Because there, in front of him, was the Sound hideout.

Intuition was good.

* * *

Sasuke followed Orochimaru and Kabuto in utter boredom while Sakura was genuinely interested, yet annoyed and saddened that everyone was imprisoned.

Orochimaru stopped in front of a girl with waist-length red hair and moss coloured eyes. "And her…?"

"Ho Akane **(1)**," Kabuto read from a file. "Age: 12, blood type: B, height: 164 cm, weight: 48 kg… She was cast aside by her father and has no other living family; we found her two month ago. Abilities: has an unseen affinity for fire and can cast it without the use of any Jutsu; can also make existing versatile. On a side note, she seems incapable of executing Genjutsu, Taijutsu or Ninjutsu."

Orochimaru thought for a minute. "Experiment,"

The girl paled and some others winced as Kabuto wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Come on…" Sasuke told Sakura, leading her in the opposite direction.

She didn't know where he was taking her, but didn't ask either. The pair entered a second room, in which Sasuke instantly went to the other end, somehow knowing exactly where to go. He only stopped when they reached a large water tank filled with, well, water.

"Are you with Orochimaru, ne?"

Sakura gave a small yelp when a boy their age made himself known in the water (how he managed to breath underwater was a mystery). He had white hair and purple eyes and was completely _naked_. Sakura blushed and quickly averted her eyes.

"Hozuki Suigetsu," Sasuke stated. "I am Uchiha Sasuke."

"An Uchiha, ne?" Suigetsu grinned.

Sasuke walked closed and dropped his voice to a whisped as he discussed something with Suigetsu, the only thing Sakura caught being: "I'll get you out of here someday, after…" She could almost see a plan forming inside his head and the way he smirked unnerved her.

"It's a deal…" Suigetsu whispered, nodding.

Sasuke nodded back and led Sakura back out of the room, joining with Orochimaru and Kabuto again before they even noticed they had gone.

Sakura lowered her voice to a whisper. "How did you-?"

Sasuke hesitated. "Karin told me about him."

The cherry blossom was instantly silenced and remained like that until they were ready to make their way back to the West hideout.

"I'm sorry…" Sakura eventually whispered.

"Why do you apologise?" The raven asked.

"Because, I, well…"

Sakura trailed off and Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a kiss without caring about Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"Never apologise…"

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**(1) - Just to remind you, it's last name, first name. Ho means fire, and Akane means deep red.**

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**A/N: As you have probably noticed I rushed it a bit at the end simply so I could get it uploaded on Saturday, not that anyone is going to read it this late. And I'm watching Strictly Come Dancing, so I haven't got much time! Gomen Nasai! And I didn't really have time to read through it again, so there are probably some spelling mistakes. Please point them out if you find some, so I can correct them.**

**Oh, and Suigetsu saying 'ne' all the time... have you noticed that he says it in almost every sentence in the anime. It's so cute, so I just had to include it here! **

**Reviews make authors happy! (Wow, I haven't said that for, what, two chapters?)**

**Ja Ne!**

**(Sigh... when will Sasuke and Sakura get their chance? Damn you, Kabuto!) **


	8. Old Friendship, Old Love, Old Rivalry

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: Yes, I know, I know... I didn't update last Saturday and I'm sorry. And I'm also taking this chance to say sorry to ByakuganLove for replying to every message really late.  
Gomen nasai everyone! And on a side note, did anyone read the latest manga chapter? It looks like Sakura is gonna kick some ass soon! **

**Thank you to Angelic Sakura Blossom, ByakuganLove, Godtmark, XxEmo BitchXx, xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, Miki-chann and Valeria1314151611 for reviewing.  
And thank you to all the people who either favourited or subscribed. It means a lot to me. **

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making any profit by posting this.**

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Chapter 7: Old Friendship, Old Love, Old Rivalry

Naruto took a deep breath, looking at the hideout in front of him. Judging from how they had travelled, he knew they were somewhere in the west, and far away from Konohagakure.

The Jinchuriki released his breath and examined the hideout, trying to stall what he knew had to be done. The hideout was plain and white and seemed to go underground; the though of Sakura being held prisoner there sent shivers up his spine.

"Hinata…?" Naruto asked with shaking breath.

The Hyuga nodded at once again activated her Byakugan, searching for the two shinobi. As she worked, both Naruto and Ino could barely contain their emotions; both had been closest to the two Ninja and wished for a second chance to make up for their mistakes: Naruto not working harder on his relationship with Sasuke and Ino breaking her friendship with Sakura.

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and wondered how she was going to break the news to the rest of the group.

"I can't find either of them… not even Orochimaru. Maybe they left or something… I'm sorry, N-Naruto-kun, Ino-chan…" Hinata whispered, hating the fact that she was letting them down.

"Why are you apologising?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side.

Hinata turned beet red. "W-W-Well… I just… um…" She turned away and started twiddling her thumbs in embarrassment.

"Don't apologise, never apologise when you've done nothing wrong." Naruto grinned and Hinata turned back to him in surprise. Slowly a smile formed on her face as she nodded at Naruto.

TenTen spoke up, getting back to the point. "So, what do we do now? I'd say we have two options: either we stay here and wait, or return to Konoha and get back-up."

"The problem is we don't know how long they'll be gone - they could be away for weeks! And who knows, maybe they decided to change hideout and our information will be useless," Ino reasoned.

The three girls looked at Naruto, who was viewed as the leader for this particular mission. Because both Sasuke and Sakura were gone, he was much more mature and could easily cope with responsibility.

* * *

Sakura stared at her reflection on the surface of the water, still not feeling comfortable with the Sound headband. She knew she was being pathetic but she just couldn't help it! The though of treason was tearing away at her heart and Sasuke was the only one capable of keeping it whole throughout this guilt.

He was not here now. He was somewhere with Orochimaru and Kabuto; he had left shortly after they had stopped to rest. Sakura had gone to the river to try and clear her thought of her betrayal, without success, however.

Sakura cupped her hands and splashed her face with water, letting it trail down her neck, soaking her pink locks.

At once her head snapped up as she felt a slightly familiar Chakra, which was completely new to her at the same time. Peering into the forest on the other side of the river, Sakura swore she could see a figure standing between the trees. He had red eyes. Without taking her own eyes off him - or her - Sakura reached for a stick lying on the ground. A useless weapon, she knew, but her kunai and shuriken were in the clearing they had chosen to rest in.

As soon as her hand touched the stick, a tear ripped through it, from the bottom to the top. Sakura had never been superstitious, but she couldn't help feeling this was some kind of omen. **(1)**

"Sakura."

She gasped and stood, spinning round. Sasuke was walking towards her. The kunoichi slowly turned back to the forest behind her, the figure was gone. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and threw herself onto Sasuke, hugging him like there was no tomorrow.

Sasuke rested his head on top of hers, wondering what was wrong with her, but he didn't ask. She would tell him when she was ready. When Sakura loosened her hold on Sasuke, he gently took her hand pulled her back to the clearing where Orochimaru and Kabuto were conversing in hushed whispers.

Orochimaru saw the pair approaching and nodded. "Alright, let's go. I want to get there before dusk."

The four jumped up into the trees and made their way back to the West hideout. When they were almost there, the Sannin suddenly stopped. The rest mirrored his action, also sensing the Chakra near the hideout.

"Konoha Ninja." Orochimaru concluded as he sent a meaningful look to Kabuto. "Come on, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura paled when she heard the news and shook her in defiance. "Don't go, Sasuke!! We can take a different route, just don't go! I'm begging-"

Kabuto, who grabbed her wrist, cut her off. Sasuke looked at Sakura as he contemplated on what was the right decision; it was obvious she wanted to avoid a clash, but Sasuke knew that if he made it clear to them he was never coming back, they would have no choice but to give up.

As Orochimaru left with Sasuke, Kabuto tightened his hold on Sakura's wrist. "You need to stay here - if they see you, it will ruin everything! Understood?"

Sakura understood and nodded her head, but didn't agree.

* * *

"Incoming," TenTen whispered, taking out a kunai.

Naruto swallowed nervously, his kunai threatening to slip between his fingers. He knew that Chakra too well… far too well. But what worried his most was the fact that he also recognise the _second _Chakra. Sasuke he could handle, but Orochimaru…? And what about his friends?

Naruto didn't have to worry long, however, because his best friend chose that moment to jump down to ground level. The three girls tensed and clutched their weapons, while Naruto searched and noticed Orochimaru standing about ten meters away, quietly observing.

"Hey, dobe." Sasuke stated. "So it's you, huh? Just leave me alone…"

Naruto bit down on his bottom lip, trying to control his emotions. Sasuke noticed and chuckled, tilting his head to the side as the Jinchuriki clenched his shaking fists.

"Why…? Why…? Sasuke…" Naruto whispered and Sasuke looked at him in surprise. "What's wrong with you!? Hey!!"

"What's wrong with me in none of your business. I have no obligation to you or anyone." Sasuke paused, carefully choosing his words. "Let me make this clear… I'm done playing around with the Konohagakure crowd. Go home."

Naruto gasped. "Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru and bushy brows." He motioned to the three kunoichi behind him. "Hinata, Ino, TenTen… they risked their lives for you…"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "And…?" He turned away and started walking back to Orochimaru.

Naruto growled as rage coursed through his body, causing it to shake. He sprinted towards Sasuke, who spun back to him seconds before he was tackled to the ground. Naruto raised his fist and punched Sasuke, snapping his head to the side.

"Does Konoha mean nothing to you!?" He yelled, but Sasuke didn't react.

"Did playing around with my so-called friends make me any stronger?" The Uchiha calmly asked. "I'm staying with Orochimaru."

"He just wants you as a new host body!! You might not be able to come back! You might get killed!" Naruto screamed. "You think I'm just gonna let you go!?"

Sasuke still didn't react. "Doesn't matter… As long as I achieve my goal, that's enough. If you're going to stand in the way then I have no choice."

Naruto grabbed his shirt. "You can't do this! I'll take you back by force if I have to!"

Sasuke smirked and punched Naruto in his chest, gathering Chakra in his fist, courtesy for Sakura. Due to their battle he had learned how to power-up his attacks while preserving his Chakra, although he never did get the same result as Sakura.

Naruto managed to land on his feet, but skidded back a few metres. He ran back to the Uchiha and lashed out with his fist, but Sasuke dodged it in one fluid movement by jumping up, kicking Naruto's face. The blond hurriedly made a handsign.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Four Shadow Clones appeared in mid-air, grabbing the real Naruto and making a makeshift chain. One clone slammed a kunai knife into a tree trunk and used it to swing Naruto towards Sasuke. He gasped as he slammed onto the ground, Naruto landing close by.

"Did that wake you up!?" The blond angrily demanded.

"Yeah… I've been wide awake to who I am for a while, even when I was trying to be like all of you; dreaming of a future that isn't going to come. That's why I left! That's why I sought power!" Sasuke jumped up and punched Naruto again.

Hinata gasped as he landed at her feet, blood trickling down the corners of his mouth. She glared daggers at Sasuke - anger being a rare emotion for her - and took a step towards him.

"No…" Naruto breathed as he sat up. "Don't get involved, Hinata-chan. I don't want to see more of those precious to me… falling." He turned back to the Uchiha. "Where's Sakura-chan?"

The lie easily left the raven's mouth. "Dead."

Naruto stared at him, slowly shaking his head and not comprehending. Orochimaru smirked as he watched the encounter and Ino sank to her knees, stifling a cry.

"I-Is that true?"

"Yeah, it's real. And I intend to kill you next, Naruto."

Naruto clenched his teeth. "You mean… we're not anything to you at all!? All we've been through means nothing!?"

Sasuke casually activated his Sharingan. "No… it's not insignificant to me. I loved Sakura and you're… my closest friend. That's why. That's why I must kill you."

Unimaginable rage and pain and hatred surged through Naruto like a drug. He started shaking uncontrollably, memories flashing through his head. A feral growl escaped his lips and he bared his teeth, which were now pointed.

'_Crazy… this is crazy… I can't deny it - you _do _mean it. You really mean it. You really wouldn't think twice about killing me. Sasuke… right now, that's all he can think about; all his energy, all his mind, focused on how to kill me. This is for real… this is really happening._

'_Sasuke… I always knew you were alone. I used to be glad I found you, someone like me. I was… happy. From first glance, I wanted to know you. But it wasn't that simple: you could do anything and you were always so popular. We're different, you and I. I was frustrated and decided you were my rival! I had to beat you, especially what with everyone calling me a loser. Then they threw use together on Team 7, and nothing was changed. Stubborn as I was, I never let on what I really felt. Truth was, I just wanted to be like you. You were my idol and so…_

"_You're one of the ones I want to fight."_

'_Hearing that, I was never happier… with those words, for the first time, you acknowledged I was good. And… yes, without even trading blows, without saying a word, I knew right then and there… we were friends._

'_And yet, here you are, having killed Sakura-chan and intend on killing me. So I don't know what to believe anymore - did you ever mean what you said? Maybe I was just deluding myself, that we're friends. Maybe I wanted it too much… In the end, maybe it was just me who thought we were friends. But then, that makes me… that would make me so stupid! Sasuke…_

'_But I can't help it… I don't know why… I guess it's just… I don't want a thug like Orochimaru to ruin you!'_

Red Chakra started swirling around Naruto, making a cloak around him, and his eyes turned blood red, an animalistic glint in them. He crouched down onto all fours as his nails grew sharper, turning into claws. He growled and Sasuke stared at him in shock, his features mirrored by the three kunoichi, and he subconsciously took a step back.

"What are you!?" The raven yelled.

"I'm your friend!" The blond replied.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he glanced at Orochimaru, silently asking what to do now, but the Sannin remained motionless. Sasuke clenched his fists and allowed the Curse Mark to activate; it glowed red for a few seconds before spreading all over his body in flame-like marks. He only stayed like that for a short moment, however, before entering the second state.

Black sparks cracked the air around him and a purple orb of swirling energy gathered in the other's palm. The two friends looked at each other for a short second, eyes locked, before rushing towards one another, their arms extended, their power increasing.

"NARUTO!"

"SASUKE!"

* * *

Sakura gasped when she heard the faint screams of her teammates, shouting each others names. She assumed the worst and tears burned in the corners of her eyes. Kabuto noticed and grabbed her wrist again, but this time Sakura did not wordlessly obey him like before.

She elbowed him in the face and Kabuto instantly released her, stumbling back and clutched his bleeding nose. Before he could recover, Sakura darted off into the trees, following the very potent Chakra signatures.

She landed on a branch with a perfect view of the Sound hideout and, more importantly, the clearing and the ones in it. She saw Sasuke and Naruto charge towards each other with Chidori and Rasengan in a form she had never seen before **(2) **and it scared her.

Before she realised what she was doing, Sakura jumped down into the clearing, running towards the two fighting boys. She could see they fought to kill, which she couldn't allow to happen no matter what it took!

As she ran, Sakura saw Ino, Hinata and TenTen, even though they hadn't noticed her, not yet at least. Naruto and Sasuke came closer and Sakura jumped between them, pushing the Jinchuriki away, ignoring the blisters that were forming on her hands due to the heat of the red Chakra.

Naruto stared at her in shock and his eyes turned back to blue. The Rasengan disappeared and he fell back on the ground, the fox' cloak fading away.

'_Sakura-chan, you're… alive…' _He thought contently as he slipped into unconsciousness.

The Chidori likewise disappeared and Sasuke turned back to his normal self, watching as Kabuto entered the clearing, apologising to Orochimaru who looked absolutely livid.

The Uchiha took out a kunai and advanced on Naruto, crouching down next to him and holding the weapon to his throat. He glanced at the sobbing Sakura and sighed, standing back up again. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar and threw him towards the three Konoha nin.

"Take him and _go_!" He hissed. "Orochimaru, we need a new hideout."

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**(1) In both the manga and the anime, I've noticed that whenever something breaks (usually glass) seconds before you touch it, it's considered an omen. Remember Temari?**

**(2) Sakura has never seen Sasuke in the second state of the Curse Mark and Naruto in his Nine-Tailed Fox mode. In the Forest of Death she only saw him with red eyes and sharp claws, but never like this. **

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**A/N: This is definitely the longest chapter up to date. Finally, I've been aiming to get near the 3,000 mark for a while.**

**Oh, and I'm sorry if I bored you by writing out the Naruto vs. Sasuke fight, but it had to be done and it cut a lot out anyway. **

**Reviews make authors happy, so please grant me that happiness! **

**And please vote the poll on my profile page! Thank you in advance!**


	9. The Kusanagi Blade

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: No, I am not dead. I'm sorry for not updating for, what, five weeks or so? But I had no inspiration and was stuck in the writer's block of doom! Again, gomen nasai! I promise it won't happen again (or I hope so, at least). **

**Thank you: ByakuganLove, Miki-chann, XxEmo BitchXx, izzybell117, xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx, TeenageCrisis, valeria1314151611, YYx and -CherryBlossom1997 for reviewing and sticking with the story so far, even though I haven't uploaded in ages. And, of course, all the people that subscribed and/or favourited.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am not making any profit by posting this.**

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Chapter 8: The Kusanagi Blade

-- with TenTen --

"Again…!" TenTen shouted as she neatly landed on her feet.

Rock Lee sighed, having lose count of the number of times they had repeated this sequence in the past hour. Even though he normally had seemingly unlimited stamina, he was actually getting tired now, and it seemed TenTen had taken over his position of youthfulness.

Driven on by the failure of the last mission, she threw a kunai at Lee, which he easily dodged. He appeared behind TenTen in a flash, crouched down as tried to throw her off her feet. She flipped backwards over his head and grabbed a shuriken as she landed.

"1000 - Shuriken no Jutsu!"

Multiple shuriken shot towards Rock Lee, moving so fast it was almost a blur. He managed to avoid most of them, only getting hit by a few, and sighed again.

TenTen, however, was unrelenting. "Again…!"

'_Because I won't fail next time, I swear…' _She added in her thoughts.

-- with Hinata --

Hinata contently watched her cousin and father train together and it made her happy. It had always been one of her dreams for them to get along together, reuniting the main and side family.

She looked up when she heard approaching footsteps and saw her two team-mates, Shino and Kiba, walking towards her. Hinata smiled shyly when she saw Kiba had fully recovered since she had last seen him unconscious in the hospital.

"Are you going to visit Naruto with us?" Shino asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Neji questioned as he walked towards Hinata and sat down next to her, interrupting his training to take a break. "Hinata visited Naruto in the hospital already and when she saw him unconscious she fainted dead away."

Hinata hung her head, trying to hide her blush. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she lifted her head, confidence shining in her eyes.

"Alright, Shino, Kiba, let's go!" Hinata stood up and walked towards them, smiling. "I won't faint this time, promise."

'_Because I won't fail next time, I swear…' _She inwardly added.

-- with Ino --

Tsunade sighed tiredly as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. She turned back to the paperwork in front of her and tried to concentrate, but a rapt knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," The Godaime impatiently ordered.

"I've come to ask you a favour," Ino said, getting straight to the point as she entered the room. She waited a few seconds for the Hokage to nod before continuing. "Please, teach me Medical Ninjutsu!"

Tsunade rested her chin on her enlaced fingers. She could see the girl in front of her being driven on by both Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura.

"I have heard from Asuma that you never give up and always take the initiative," Tsuande recounted. "Fine, I'll teach you. But this is not going to be easy, understood?"

Ino nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama!"

'_Because I won't fail next time, I swear…' _She added in her mind.

-- with Naruto --

Naruto lifelessly stared at the scratched headband in his lap. Apparently, the team had found it on their way back to Konoha.

"No rest for you?" A voice from door opening asked.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto grinned, his face lighting up. "So… the team is okay? That's a relief."

"Sasuke wouldn't…?"

Naruto looked at the headband again. "No…"

* * *

'_Everyone, thank you, really…' _Naruto sat up and drew back the curtains. _'But I have no time to waste!'_

Before he could even make a move, however, the door slammed open and Jiraiya walked in. "I've come here to make a formal announcement! You are now officially my apprentice. Within three years I'll make you a full-fledged Ninja." The Sannin paused. "When I was researching Orochimaru's Art of Immortality, my sources brought to my attention some reliable information regarding the Akatsuki."

An image of Itachi flashed through his mind. "Information…?"

"They won't be back for you for three or four more years." Jiraiya explained.

"Who cares about that?" Naruto whispered, his voice steadily rising. "It's so far away. I don't have time for playing around with you in the meantime! I have to go after Sasuke and Sakura! Orochimaru could kill them!"

Jiraiya sighed. "It sounds like you know the real reason Orochimaru wants Sasuke."

Naruto looked up in surprise. "You mean you do too?"

"Didn't I just tell you I've been researching Orochimaru's Art of Immortality?" Jiraiya asked impatiently. "And, well, I can't guarantee you a hundred percent, but it appears we have more than three years before he can use Sasuke's body as a vessel."

"How can you know that?" Naruto asked sceptically.

"Don't underestimate my connections! The deal is, the Art of Immortality demands a buffer of at least three years before he can retransfer his soul. He already transferred himself to a new body, so that gives us three years before he takes Sasuke, and kill Sakura since he's probably only keeping her around for him. We have time."

Naruto sighed in relief. "Three years at least?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Indeed." He turned away from the Jinchuriki. "Listen… forget about Sasuke and Sakura: Sasuke willingly went to Orochimaru and Sakura probably willingly went along with him. It doesn't matter what you do for him, he will not change. I know this… I've seen shinobi come and go, and Sasuke is the same as Orochimaru. Forget about bringing him back. It's the tragic path of self-righteous fools."

"They may be nothing to you, Ero-Sennin! But Sasuke is my friend and I love Sakura!"

"You call them your friends!?" Jiraiya shouted. "Look at what they've done to you!"

Naruto shook his head. "It's… It's…"

Jiraiya turned back to the blonde. "If you're intend on chasing after Sasuke and Sakura then forget the training. I'll stick the ANBU Black Ops on you and you'll be forbidden to set foot outside Konoha." He paused again. "You're no ordinary kid, Naruto… you have the Nine-Tailed Fox. And this is serious business. If you disregard my words… if you're determined to do what you please, then I have no choice.

'Someday you will face an enemy even greater than Orochimaru. You must forget about Sasuke and Sakura, understand? They were destined to leave sooner or later; don't blame yourself… you must forget. To be a shinobi, you need more than strength and Jutsu, you must learn to weigh your options and make the right decisions. If you want to live as a shinobi, you need to be smarter. This world… it's no place for a fool. That's the reality."

"I understand…" Naruto whispered. "If being smart means what you say, I'll remain a fool for my entire life!"

Jiraiya gasped and Naruto continued, grinning. "Even if I've got to do it alone, I'm going to spin some incredible Jutsu. And I'm going to rescue Sasuke and Sakura, no matter what! And, and… I'm going to smack down the Akatsuki!"

There was a silence in which Jiraiya sighed and stood up. "If you try this on your own, you will return with nothing, if you return at all. But you are a certain kind of fool… that is true. And a fool as great as you are may well be able to handle this. When you're discharged from the hospital, be ready, foolish one."

* * *

Sasuke couldn't forgive himself, or rather, he knew Sakura would never forgive him. He had shown her his other, darker side and if that wouldn't be her reason for leaving, it would be his treatment of Naruto, no doubt.

"Sasuke-kun!!"

The Uchiha snapped out of his thoughts and was just in time to see a kunai aimed for his head, thrown by Orochimaru. He made a move to the right, but tripped and stumbled, falling to the ground.

"That's the fifth time you mess up when dodging a simple kunai knife. If you don't snap out of this state, I might have to reconsider your training program." Orochimaru stated.

"No," Sasuke hissed, standing.

"Then let's do this again, Sasuke," The Sannin ordered, returning to the other side of the room.

The raven swallowed nervously: no -kun at the end of his name usually meant danger. Danger… he had brought upon Sakura so much danger by bringing her here…

Sasuke hissed in pain when he suddenly felt a stab of pain in his left leg. He glanced down and saw the kunai embedded in his flesh. The Uchiha sank to his knees and pulled out the weapon, drops of blood landing on the floor.

Orochimaru strode past him towards the door, not in the least concerned about his future vessels well being. "Follow me, Sasuke-kun."

Said shinobi was not even slightly fazed by Orochimaru's sudden change of heart when he added the -kun back again, and lifted himself up, following his mentor until they reached one of the rooms he was forbidden to enter.

The room was average-sized and very full, organised with no obvious structure. It was badly lit, the only light coming from flickering candles (again, standing at various places with no order). But Sasuke ignored all this, his attention instantly draw to some kind of altar. He walked towards it and saw a katana lying on it.

Without waiting for Orochimaru's confirmation on whether he could touch it, he picked up the blade. It was beautiful… the metal was polished to absolute perfection and the handle had a strong grip, making it practical as well. Sasuke absentmindedly ran his index finger over the blade, feeling its sharpness. This was far better than any kunai of sword.

"It's yours," Orochimaru said softly.

"W-What?" Sasuke stammered in shock; Orochimaru was definitely not someone who just gave away beautiful weapons like this.

"You'll get more out of it than me," The Sannin explained. "It's called the Kusanagi Blade, or Grass Cutter **(1)**. It's a legendary weapon with one of the most sharpest cutting ability; nothing can block it."

Sasuke smirked, all his attention refocused on Itachi and training until he could kill him. And with this blade… he would be one step closer.

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**(1)**** Don't laugh, it's really also called 'Grass Cutter'. It revers back to the sharpness (you know, cutting grass?).**

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**A/N: Again, thanks for staying with this story. **

**And remember, reviews make authors happy. Especially constructive criticism! **

**Oh, and before I forget, merry christmas and a happy new year to everyone reading this! **


	10. Hello and Goodbye

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: This will probably be my new schedule: updating once every two weeks. I'm sorry, but I've got my other story to worry about as well. **

**Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to xemotionallyCONSTIPATEDx because she really wanted a Karin - Sakura fight!**

**Anyway, thank you: rubberhazard, Angelic Sakura Blossom, ByakuganLove and Miki-chann for reviewing.  
And to all the people who either favourited or subscribed, thank you as well! **

**Dexterous: Thank you for reviewing! And there will definitely be some SasuSaku scenes in this chapter, although there will be some anti as well. And no, you don't sound like a baka - I love long reviews like yours!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm not making any profit by posting this.

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Chapter 9: Hello and Goodbye

Sakura smiled when Sasuke wrapped his hands around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Hello," He breathed, his mouth next to her ear. "I have to go train."

Sakura placed her hand on Sasuke's cheek, guiding his mouth to her's. "Took you long enough to come see me," She teased.

Sasuke grinned and twisted the cherry blossom round, capturing her in a passionate kiss. Sakura threw her arms around his neck, pressing their bodies closer and intensifying the electric feeling between them.

The Uchiha was the first to pull away, breaking the kiss. Sakura pouted in annoyance, but Sasuke didn't sigh in defeat and kiss her again like he used to. Instead, he gently grasped her hand.

"Do you want to come?"

"Hmm-mm." Sakura nodded, quickly grabbing her Sound headband (taking care not to look too closely at it) and tying it around her head so the top faced upwards.

"Why didn't you come see me after…?" Sakura trailed off, unable to say _his _name. She had discarded that single memory from her mind, not wanting to remember something the cast doubt on her love for Sasuke… but she knew she had to ask him this.

"I thought you would hate me for-"

Sakura shook her head, cutting him off. "Don't worry about it. I mean… well, it's not that I like what you did, but you had no choice. I know that and I forgive you. You were protecting me and I would have done the same in your position. I love you…"

"I can't control it…" Sasuke whispered. "Whenever I feel strong negative emotions, I just snap and it takes control. Sakura… if you ever see me in that state again, just run. Promise me that, alright?"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"What are _you _talking about?" Sasuke mirrored her lost look.

"You hurting Naruto!" - "Me using the curse!"

The pair stared at each other; Sakura's emerald eyes glistening with angry tears, while Sasuke's onyx ones had turned silent and emotionless.

The cherry blossom shook her head. "I can't believe you. I thought you didn't come see me because you felt guilty about hurting Naruto, our friend! But no… you're only concerned about that Curse Mark! Do you honestly think I care about that thing!?"

"I care about your safety! Nothing else, not even that dobe, means anything to me!" Sasuke countered. "Why can't you just be happy for a change - there's always something wrong with you! I risk achieving my revenge so we can be together, I make sure you get accepted and yet you still worry about those in Konoha!"

Sakura and Sasuke were breathing heavily now, neither wanting to admit their own faults.

"If you don't like it then… go home…" Sasuke finally said.

Sakura looked at the raven in utter shock and disbelief. She spun round, enraged, and started running back to her room. Sasuke silently watched her leave, not attempting to stop her and continued on his way to the training grounds.

* * *

Sasori chuckled as he looked around. "The last time we all gathered like this was when Orochimaru left our family, seven long years ago…"

"And now Orochimaru has Sharingan?" Zetsu added.

"We confirmed it," Kisame stated.

"So it's your little brother then, Itachi?" Hidan asked.

"Don't worry, un," Deidara smirked. "I'll finish off Orochimaru soon enough, un. We have only three years left, will you be able to complete all your assignments?"

"Yes, we'll secure them all… All, including the Nine-Tailed Fox!" Pein said.

* * *

Sakura laid herself down on her bed, massaging her temples. Inside her mind it was a blur of colours, not allowing her to think clearly. But when she separated them, only one colour, one thought, remained. The truth… Sasuke wanted her gone.

Sakura slowly shook her head, knowing exactly what she had to do. Tomorrow… it would all go down.

She drew the covers over her head as she tried to justify her decision, so she wouldn't feel the guilt. She knew she had to sleep - she needed all the energy she could get for tomorrow. But she couldn't. Whenever she closed her eyes, the colours exploded behind her eyes, giving her an unbearable headache.

Sakura finally closed her eyes, ignoring everything and eventually falling asleep.

-- Time Passes ---

Sakura's eyes snapped open as soon as the first rays of sunlight hit them. She sat up and noticed the covers were strewn around the bed, reminding her of her uneasy sleep. Sakura sighed and got out of bed, working quickly as she got dressed in clothes that would blend in with her surroundings. And to finish off, she put on her Oto headband.

Sakura took a deep breath and opened the door of her room, looking sideways down the hallway. Judging from the time, Sasuke would still be asleep in his room, was was next to hers (Orochimaru didn't allow them to sleep together), but she couldn't take any chances.

Masking her Chakra and walking as silently as possible, Sakura made her way towards the entrance of the hideout, which they still hadn't changed.

"On a mission, Sakura-chan?" One of Sound shinobi guarding the entrance asked.

"Yeah, but it's just scouting. It seems Orochimaru-sama still doesn't trust me with anything harder." Sakura easily lied.

"Well, at least you're allowed to go alone." The Ninja smiled.

Sakura nodded. "I'll see you later!"

She gave a small waved and then jumped up in the trees, sighing in relief and determined to cover as much ground as possible. She had to get home! To Konoha!

Hours passed and Sakura swore she knew this area, meaning she was close to her destination. Suddenly she saw a flash of red. Sakura cursed. She was forced to stop when, on the branch opposite her, she saw none other than… ugh, Karin.

"Well, well, well… what have we got here? I thought I sensed your Chakra." Karin sneered. "So, what are you doing this close to the Village Hidden in the Leaves? Since you've _somehow _managed to acquire that Sound headband, I'd call this treason."

"I'm on a mission, _Karin_. Now move aside or I'll have to mention this to Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru_-sama_. Besides, you're lying," Karin smirked. "When you abuse the truth and lie, your Chakra flow gets slightly disturbed. Your Chakra pattern just broke when you said that… In other words, you're lying."

Sakura stared at her in shock. This could ruin her whole plan! She glared at the redhead and when she didn't move, gathered her Chakra in her fist. If Karin wouldn't willingly leave, she would force to get past!

Sakura jumped towards her, but Karin gripped her wrist and threw her against a tree trunk, also using Chakra to strengthen her attacks. The cherry blossom quickly recovered and made a hand sign.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" She shouted and seven clones appeared, all going towards Karin.

Sakura knew that the redhead would easily be able to identify the real her due to her Chakra-sensing ability, but with this amount she would never be able to dodge or defeat them all in time to stop her attack.

… Wrong.

Karin was faster than she had imagined and dodged all the clones, pushing Sakura against the same trunk, which broke her concentration and made the clones disappear.

"Yeah, I'd definitely call this treason," Karin whispered. "You'll never be able to defeat me: I've been trained personally by Orochimaru-sama!"

Sakura groaned and gathered Chakra in her fist again, but Karin sensed it and grabbed her wrist. The cherry blossom used this distraction to quickly lift up her leg and kick the redhead away from her. She then lunged forward and punched her jaw, making Karin gasp in pain.

Karin glared at her new rival, but before she could make a move, a knife had struck her in her chest. Her eyes widened and she glanced down at the weapon, feeling the pain spread through her body. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, eventually sensing an unknown, yet familiar, Chakra pattern. How had she missed that, though!?

Sakura watched in shock as her rival looked at her hands, which were covered in blood. Karin gave a shrill cry and sank to her knees, gripping the knife, about to pull it out. Sakura quickly dashed towards her and grabbed her wrists, gently guiding them away from the knife. From her lessons with Kabuto, she had learned to never take out a weapon because it would only make the bleeding worse.

Sakura carefully laid Karin down on the branch, taking care not to move her too much. She placed her hands on either side of the kunai knife, immune to the blood, and closed her eyes. An image of the inside of her body visualised in her mind and Sakura gasped when she saw the weapon had struck a major artery.

"It hurts…" Karin whispered, her whole face pale. "Help me, please…"

"Don't worry, you're going to be alright!" Sakura shouted.

"You should worry about yourself first," A male voice stated.

Sakura's head snapped up and she saw a man dressed in black robes adorned with red clouds. His hair was black and tied in a ponytail and his eyes were red - Sharingan!

Sakura glanced at Karin and protectively cradled the wounded girl in her arms. She looked up again at the stranger and swallowed nervously, knowing this was the man she had seen before. But now… Sasuke was not here to protect her.

* * *

Sasuke frantically paced through his room. Sakura was gone and nobody seemed able to tell him anything! This morning, a few hours ago, he had gone to her room to apologise for his behaviour yesterday only to find it empty. He had already alerted Orochimaru, but hadn't heard anything since then.

The door to his room opened and Kabuto entered. Sasuke tried to identify the expression on his face, but he had never been good at that and soon gave up, asking instead.

"Is Sakura…?" He let the question hang in the air.

"We have reason to believe Sakura-san has left for Konohagakure." Kabuto hesitantly replied.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he sat down on the bed, burying his head in his hands. Sakura had left… and it was his fault… She had left… and there was nothing he could do about it… They would have to change hideouts… and they would probably never see each other again… Or they would kill her because of the information she held… and what then…?

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto whispered as he left the room.

The Uchiha didn't react. The thoughts frantically raced through his head, making it hard to concentrate. Minutes passed before he lifted up his head, strapping his katana to his back and leaving the room. He was not going to give up without a fight!

He quickly calculated his chance of meeting her: Sakura had left almost four hours ago, meaning she was about an hour away from Konoha now. He knew for a fact he was faster and would probably be able to get to her position in two hours max. So unless she would be delayed by something, he would never make it.

Sasuke cursed, but still continued going for the entrance.

* * *

"Who are you…?" Sakura hissed.

"Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger! I actually wanted to write the rest in this chapter, but then I though it would be better to put a break in the middle.**

**So, will Sasuke get there on time? Will Karin survive? And more importantly, will Sakura survive?  
Find out in the next chapter!**

**And remember, reviews make authors happy. **


	11. Exit Wounds

**The Decision of a Cherry Blossom**

**A/N: I'm going to warn you now for Itachi OOC'ness. This is the first time I'm writing him (the previous chapters don't really count), so I'm unfamiliar with his character. It will probably get better later, though.**

**Thank you: xXxPoisonedAngelxXx, kattylin, ByakuganLove, Angelic Sakura Blossom, ScarlettIsTheName, valeria1314151611, yobrother91200 and hikari98 for reviewing! And thank you to those who either favourited, subscribed or even read this story.**

**This chapter will be the final chapter of this story, and was made from all your ideas, merged together into one plot.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am not making any profit by posting this.**

**Warning(s): Character Death.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Exit Wounds

Sakura stared at the male in front of her: Uchiha Itachi. She now knew why he had seemed so familiar to her: it was Sasuke's older brother. She thought back to better days in Konoha and how she had done almost everything to learn Sasuke's past just to impress him.

"What do you want?" Sakura whispered.

"I want you to stay away from Sasuke."

"What?" Sakura stammered, definitely not expecting that. She thought Itachi didn't care about his little brother… unless he wanted to cause him misery by taking her away? "What are you talking about?"

"I want you to leave your village and never come near my otouto again. If you do, however, I won't be so merciful." Itachi threatened.

With that said, the Uchiha turned around and started to walk away. Sakura watched him go and realised her whole body was shaking. She cursed herself for her weakness. Even when he wasn't around, she somehow managed to fail Sasuke. If he were in her position he would have stopped and killed Itachi.

Sakura reached towards the weapon pouch attached to her black belt and took out two shuriken, throwing them towards Itachi.

Before the metal stars even came remotely close, Itachi's body had turned to ravens **(1)**, which flew away in different directions.

"I warned you that I wouldn't show any mercy the second time," The Uchiha whispered from behind Sakura, who gasped and turned her head to look at him.

The cherry blossom quickly looked at Karin, who was still lying in her arms. Her face was deathly white and blood was slowly seeping from the wound in her chest. Sakura bit her lip, knowing she couldn't fight against what was going to happen to her. She placed her right hand on her Karin's chest and sent a burst of her own energy into her body.

Karin's eyes widened and the colour returned to her face. Sakura's healing Chakra would repair the major damage in her body and prolong her life by an undefined period of time. By then, she hoped someone would have found her.

"Thank you…" Karin whispered, almost inaudible.

Sakura nodded and stood up, laying down the red-head and turning to directly face Itachi. She nodded in determination and stared into his red eyes.

"Mangekyou Sharingan."

-- Time Passes --

Sakura opened her eyes to complete darkness. She blinked. No difference. She sat up with a wave of dizziness to accompany her. Her whole head was spinning. She threw up. Gasping. Choking. Her whole body was feeling out-of-control.

The visions from the Mangekyou were still fresh in her mind, but instead of distracting her, they fuelled her determination. Sakura reached out with her hands and felt a wall to her left; she rolled onto her other side and felt walls there, too.

Sakura knew it was useless trying to get out: her Chakra was almost depleted, now keeping Karin alive. She groaned when she felt the strength sap from her body, remembering her last lesson with Kabuto before she had left.

"_Alright, I'm going to show you another way of healing people, including yourself. But you should - and listen carefully because this is important - only use this technique as a last resort, understood?"_

_Sakura nodded, curious to this new technique._

"_When you start with Medical Ninjutsu, your body slowly becomes accustomed to healing. As a result, your Chakra gains healing qualities. Do you remember when you tried to heal the Chakra network on your own?"_

_Sakura nodded again, slightly embarrassed._

"_Well, one of the reasons why you passed out was because your body was not used to healing." Kabuto told her._

"_But you said you couldn't heal the Chakra network on your own, either." Sakura's forehead creased in confusion._

_Kabuto scratched the back in embarrassment. "It was my first time healing the Chakra network, to tell the truth. I had no experience." He shook his head. "But anyway, this technique focuses on healing from an entirely different angle: instead of sending your Chakra to specific areas of the body, you'll now send it to the _entire _body."_

_Sakura nodded for a third time to show she understood._

"_By doing this, you establish a bond with the patient. Every time he gets hurt, within or without, your Chakra will heal his injuries. However, there's a catch: every time an injury is healed, your Chakra will get depleted. And the bond can't be broken."_

_Sakura paled, realising the implications should she ever use that techique._

"_It was a technique greatly used during the Third Great Ninja War. Those with healing abilities would stay behind and heal the ones fighting… until their Chakra ran out and they died." Kabuto paused. "It's not used much now, but I thought it would be best if you were at least aware of its existence._

"_Only use it as a last resort," He repeated. "Only use it when someone you truly care about is on the verge of death. Only use it when Sasuke is dying."_

Sakura cursed. She had acted on impulse alone and now she was bound to someone she hated. She didn't remember her reason for making that decision. Right now there was only one thing she knew as fact:

As she died, Karin grew stronger.

* * *

"So, who is she, un?" Deidara asked in curiosity when the Akatsuki had gathered for the second time in ten years. An hour ago, Itachi had carried in a young unconscious girl with ridiculous pink hair, yet quite attractive.

"A Sound Ninja who tried to attack me." Itachi simply answered.

"And what do you intend to do with this Sound Ninja?" Pein questioned, not liking this one bit. Anyone inside their hideout would undoubtedly uncover some of their plans, meaning she would have to be silenced. Which meant they had to kill or keep her. Another thing that worried him was the fact that Itachi was acting very out-of-character: this was not something he usually did.

"… I think she could be useful," Itachi finally said. "She is a Medical Ninja and we need someone who can heal us after battle. We could keep her locked up and when the need arises force her."

Pein looked at each member in turn. "We'll vote."

Hidan grinned. "I'm in. Even though I can't die, it will be useful to have someone who can heal me after my rituals. And she can probably do it better than Kakuzu anyway."

Kakuzu glared at his partner. "I'm perfectly capable of healing anyone in this organisation: I'm against."

Deidara laughed. "I'm definitely in, un!"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "I guess she could be useful. Medical Ninja usually have excessive knowledge of poisons and their antidotes."

Zetsu shook his head. "We should just kill her. _I'll do it if you want." _**(2)**

Kisame nodded. "I agree with Zetsu over there. She'll just be a burden."

Itachi remained stoic. "You already know my answer."

Konan looked at Pein. "I'll follow you lead, Pein-sama."

Pein looked around the room. "In that case, she'll stay. We'll leave her in captivity for the night and tomorrow we'll find another place for her to stay."

* * *

Sasuke closed his eyes and scanned the area for any Chakra signals. He had left from Otogakure an hour ago and it would take approximately another hour before he reached Konohagakure.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he sensed a familiar Chakra - a Chakra belonging to Karin. But there was something wrong with it… it almost felt as if there was another presence there. And it kept growing stronger.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and kept going, soon reaching the place where the signal came from. He gasped when he saw Karin leaning against a tree branch with a kunai knife embedded in her chest, blood seeping through her shirt. The weird thing was, though, that she seemed to be in no pain.

"Karin, what happened?" He asked, making his presence known.

"Sasuke!" Her whole face lit up. "I was attacked by someone - someone who looked a good deal like you! He took Sakura… I-I tried to stop him, I really did. But I…" She trailed off and motioned to the knife in her chest.

"Sakura was here?" The Uchiha asked, almost forgetting the red-head's injury for a minute. "Karin, tell me, which direction did he go?"

"I can lead you. Just give me a second…" Karin bit down on her lip and took a deep breath, slowly pulling out the knife. She hadn't done it earlier because she was afraid of the pain it would cause. Miraculously, however, she felt none.

Sasuke watched in amazement as Karin pulled out the weapon, casually throwing it away. She lifted up her lilac shirt and the raven shook his head in surprise when there was no wound, not even a scar. Karin wiped away some of the blood before standing up, smirking.

She nodded at Sasuke. "Let's go - I'll lead!"

Karin jumped onto the next branch and Sasuke followed mutely, too surprised to say anything. He wondered why the kunoichi hadn't told him about her ability before; she certainly didn't seem the type to hide information that would impress.

"How…?" Sasuke finally asked.

Karin glanced at him, unsure of what her answer should be. She knew that Sakura had caused this somehow, but if he told him that, Sasuke would love her even more than he already did. If she lied and they found Sakura, and she would tell the truth, Sasuke would hate her. But then again… _if _they found Sakura. She was probably already dead, or would be by the time they found her.

"It's my other ability." Karin said shamelessy. "This way!"

Sasuke nodded, impressed, and followed her: she was definitely going to be in his team.

The two Otonin continued until they came to the edge of the forest, near a river that flowed before a series of rocks. Sasuke glanced at his companion and she nodded, indicating to a large boulder. **(3)**

"We're here. That's the entrance." Karin explained, before jumping down from the tree branch. A small branch scratched her arm in the process, but Karin was oblivious and the wound healed instantly. Sasuke looked on in amazement.

-- With Sakura --

Sakura screamed in pain and clutched her chest when another portion of her Chakra disappeared. What the hell was Karin doing!?

Tears appeared in her eyes, which had become accustomed to the darkness, as she stared up at the ceiling. She was going to die. There was no question about it. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she brought her hands together, praying to see Sasuke one more time before she died.

-- With Karin and Sasuke --

Sasuke knew it was no use masking his Chakra as he gathered it in his palm, preparing to use Chidori. Blue lightning crackled the air around him as he charged towards the boulder, smashing it to pieces instantly.

"Karin, you'll fight the Akatsuki while I find Sakura!" He repeated the plan to her again, knowing the red-head would be able to keep them occupied with her ability long enough for him to find his cherry blossom.

"I'll see you later then," Karin smiled slightly before entering the hideout, flaunting her Chakra all over of the place to attract their attention.

Sasuke waited five minutes before entering as well, masking his Chakra while searching for Sakura's distinctive pattern.

… It was not hard.

Sakura seemed to be kept in the front part of the hideout, while the Akatsuki was at the back somewhere. He sensed Karin had made contact with them. He concentrated on Sakura's Chakra again and what he felt worried him. Her Chakra was incredibly weak and seemed to be getting weaker by the second!

"Sakura…!" He whispered frantically as he slammed open the door to a room.

She was lying on her side, clutching her chest. A scream tore from her lips and she choked up blood. Sasuke was beside her in an instant, holding her hand and trying to get through to her.

"Sakura, it's me: Sasuke."

At the last word, her eyes - which had been tightly shut - snapped open. She turned to Sasuke and smiled contently, her eyes closing again. She stopped moving.

Sasuke grabbed her shoulders and wildly shook her. "Don't die on me, Sakura! Stay living… for me, please… Sakura, stay alive!"

"Where's Karin?" She asked, her eyes opening again.

"Fighting the Akatsuki," Sasuke confessed.

Sakura paled, her last hope dissolved. She nodded slowly. "Sasuke, I'm going to die. Take me back to the Sound Village, please. I want to thank Kabuto for everything he's done."

The Uchiha nodded and Sakura closed her eyes again, passing out. He lifted her up onto his back, wanting to keep his hands free, and started running towards the exit. He glanced back in the direction Karin had gone, not sure if he should stay and get her out or leave before Sakura's condition worsened.

He decided on the latter and continued running; Karin would survive.

-- With Karin --

Karin slammed into the ground, feeling no pain. She couldn't sense Sasuke or Sakura anymore, meaning they had escaped. She closed her eyes and masked her Chakra so it seemed as if she were dead. A kick landed in her chest and she got turned over, but she remained silent, keeping up her act.

"She's not moving, un," A male voice said.

"Leave her." Another male ordered. "I bet she wasn't alone!"

Karin was surprised at how careless the Akatsuki were in situations like these. Still masking her Chakra, she sat up only when she was sure there was no one left. Karin stood up and, smirking, made her way to the exit.

-- With Sasuke and Sakura --

"Nearly there," Sasuke assured Sakura, even though she was still unconscious.

Every muscle in his body was aching; he was running faster than ever before, being driven on by the girl on his back. A small hour had passed and he could already see the Sound hideout looming in the distance.

Pushing himself even more, Sasuke reached Otogakure. The two Sound Ninja guarding the entrance let him pass without objections and Sasuke stormed into the medical room, where Kabuto would undoubtedly be healing someone.

He was right. Kabuto turned round when he heard the door and his eyes widened when he saw Sasuke, completely out of breath, with Sakura, unconscious, on his back.

The medic instantly knew what the cherry blossom had done, but he could sense no healing Chakra within Sasuke, which worried him. Before the Uchiha could say something, he took Sakura in his arms and carefully laid her down on the second operating table, ignoring the subordinate he had been previously healing.

"Sasuke, tell me, did Sakura heal anyone?" Kabuto pressed.

The raven shook his head, too exhausted to talk. Kabuto narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Was there anyone with you?"

"Ka-Karin…" Sasuke whispered, sitting himself down in the single chair.

"Where is she!?" Kabuto shouted, paling.

"Fighting the Akatsuki…" The Uchiha managed.

"Oh, no…" Kabuto shook his head in despair.

He placed his hands on Sakura's chest and examined her condition. Her Chakra level was dangerously low, so low not even her reserves could refill it. The good thing was, though, that it wasn't depleting anymore. This meant Karin had escaped from Akatsuki. The bad news was that one injury, just the tiniest scratch, would kill Sakura.

"Sasuke, you have to find Karin and get her here safely. Make sure nothing happens to her, not even the smallest injury." Kabuto ordered.

The Uchiha sensed this was serious and, ignoring his own pain, stood up and made his was to the entrance again, leaving to find the kunoichi who held Sakura's fate in her incapable hands.

* * *

Karin cursed when she sensed the Chakra of approaching Konoha shinobi. But when she remembered she couldn't get hurt, she relaxed again, continuing in the same laid-back pace. She would get to the Sound hideout in about five hours and the Konoha group would reach her in about three.

-- Time Passes --

Three hours had passed and Konoha was almost upon her, yet she still didn't speed up. In fact, she decided to stop altogether. She would show the Hidden Leaf to fear the Sound name.

A few minutes passed before three shinobi wearing green Jounin vests landed on the branch in front of her. Karin smirked at them and grinned when one of them took out a knife, throwing it towards her to assess her dodging speed.

"No…!" Someone jumped in front of her, intercepting the knife.

The Jounin gasped, recognising the male in front of him as the Sasuke Uchiha, the Ninja-gone-rogue.

Karin stared in shock as her crush took the weapon for her. That was so romantic. Although, why he did it was a mystery to her. After all, Sasuke knew she couldn't get hurt.

Sasuke glared at the three of them and pulled out the knife, seemingly oblivious to the pain. He threw it towards the Jounin, who easily dodged. The Uchiha's glare intensified and the Curse Mark flared, the marks spreading until half his body was covered.

"Leave," He ordered, moving forwards.

The Jounin instantly complied and left the scene. Sasuke scanned the area for any other enemies and then took out his Kusanagi, indicating that Karin should move forwards. The red-head nodded and Sasuke stayed next to her at all times, protecting her.

The journey took longer than before, mostly because Sasuke scanned every clearing and new area they came in, but also because of his exhaustion. It took a total of five hours to reach the Sound hideout, and it was now almost dark.

Sasuke led Karin to the medical room, still making sure she was safe. As soon as he entered he slumped onto the chair and promptly fell asleep, his injury completely forgotten.

Kabuto sighed in relief when Karin entered the room, meaning Sakura was out of immediate danger. He turned to the cherry blossom and tried to stabilise her Chakra levels, but whatever Chakra she acquired instantly got transferred to Karin.

"What's wrong with her, Kabuto-san?" Karin asked. "Did the Akatsuki hurt her?"

"Not the Akatsuki, no," The medic replied softly, not elaborating.

He looked at Sakura again, countless techniques going through his head. He eventually came to the conclusion he had known all along and sighed in defeat: he had no choice.

"Karin-san, when you get the chance, tell Orochimaru-sama I'm really grateful for everything he's done for me. And when Sakura-san wakes up, tell her I know she'll be a great kunoichi. Oh, and try to convince Sasuke-kun I _do_think he's a good Ninja." Kabuto laughed nervously.

Karin nodded even though she didn't understand what he meant.

Kabuto placed his hands on Sakura's chest and gently discharged all of his healing Chakra into her body, establishing a bond with her with broke the previous one.

The healing substance instantly flowed through her body, restoring Chakra levels and mending broken cells and vessels. With every injury Kabuto got weaker, while Sakura grew stronger.

Soon his whole body had paled and beads of sweat started appearing on his forehead. His breathing became raspy and he clutched the operating table, his knuckles turning white. He smiled slightly before his knees gave away and he fell to the floor; in the same instant, Sakura opened her eyes.

She looked around in disorientation, her vision blurry. Her gaze rested on Karin, who stood frozen, staring at something. Sakura followed her look and gave a shrill shriek when she saw Kabuto on the floor.

"Kabuto!" She shouted, jumping off the operating table. "What's wrong, Kabuto!?"

She gasped in pain at clutched her chest, only then realising she was completely worn out and exhausted.

Karin watched as Sakura stood up again. She slowly shook her head in despair, not feeling Kabuto's Chakra anymore. She mentally cringed at the thought of having to tell Orochimaru this.

Sakura looked at the red-head, tears in her eyes.

"He's dead."

* * *

-- A Few Days Later --

Karin rolled up her sleeve and held out her arm to the subordinate, who had a large gaping wound in his shoulder. Orochimaru nodded and the man bit into Karin's arm, sucking and licking. Karin bit her lip in pain and soon the wound healed; the man pulled away, leaving a prominent bite mark.

"Yet another flawless healing, Karin-san," Orochimaru praised.

Karin smirked and returned her sleeve to its original position. Ever since she had bonded with Sakura and had almost absorbed all her healing Chakra, she seemed to have a peculiar side effect that allowed her to heal others by letting them suck out her Chakra. It wasn't as strong as Sakura's healing, but at least Orochimaru was pleased. **(4)**

-- With Sakura and Sasuke --

Sakura absentmindedly stared out of the window, feeling depressed after Kabuto's sacrifice. She glanced at the door and Sasuke instantly jumped out of the armchair he had been sitting in and caught her hand.

He had been ridiculously overprotective of her ever since he had woken up and never let her out of her sight, scared she was going to leave again, which was exactly what Sakura wanted; she couldn't stand being her any longer.

Her face was only inches away from his. Sasuke's warm break was blowing in her face, making her dazed over his sweetness.

"You can't leave, Sakura, at least not yet." He kissed her cheek.

"Why? Why can't I go home? When can I go home?" Sakura asked,

"When I kill Itachi, that's when. Although I'd like to keep you here forever."

"What? You're going to _kill _Itachi?" She shrieked. She should have expected that, though. "Oh my god. No, I can't let you. No, I won't let you do that!"

Sasuke looked at her in confusion, convinced she was still a bit dazed by her near-death experience. The truth was, however, that Sakura knew. She knew the truth about him. She had seen it during that Tskukoyomi.

Sakura started kicking and pushing him away from her, but Sasuke was stronger. He pushed her against the wall and caught her hands above her head. Tears were pouring down Sakura's cheeks and the thought of Sasuke killing Itachi kept running through her mind. It was eating her from the inside.

Sakura's heart was thumping very, very fast. Sasuke came even closer. She felt his beautiful lips down on hers. She objected at first but then remembered their happy times together and got carried away.

Sasuke's lips were touching her neck, her cheeks and her lips. Their tongues were twirling in their mouths and his warm breath felt good in her mouth. He leaned away and chuckled, still holding her arms above her head.

"Can you let me go now? Please, my hands hurt." Sakura's voice was calm, something like a whisper.

Sasuke grinned at her and continued kissing her. He had no obvious intentions of letting her go.

He looked Sakura in the eyes. "If your hands hurt, we can move to the bed." He chuckled again. "But now that I have you obedient and calm… I'm not letting you go."

Sasuke continued kissing her. When she had her mouth free, she begged him to let her go, but as stubborn as ever, he didn't want to hear it.

"Please let me go, Sasuke. Please."

He kissed her to shut my mouth. Sakura's hands hurt and it came to a point where they started trembling. Sasuke noticed and lowered her hands. He grabbed her and threw her on the bed, kissing her all the time. Sasuke fell on the bed over her, again holding her hands above her head.

He kissed her neck, stomach and cleavage.

* * *

**(1) I'm talking about Itachi's signature Genjutsu move: turning to ravens.**

**(2) Normal writing: Zetsu's white half. Italic writing: Zetsu's black half.**

**(3) In my story, the boulder doesn't have the five-part seal which is shown in Season 1 of Shippuden.**

**(4) I'm sure you all know about Karin's healing ability. Well, this is my take on how she got it.**

* * *

**Wow, that was a LONG chapter and marks the end of the story. **

**The sequel is now up!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's called Legacy of the Black Blossom! GO READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!**


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